She's Human, But I Love Her
by WorldsColliding
Summary: Invader Zim has finally won the trust of his leaders. His dreams are coming true, and he is the most essential part in the coming invasion of Earth. But after he meets a young beautiful human girl, is the invasion still what he really wants?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

"Everything has been going swimmingly, Almighty Tallest," Zim's voice said as his image appeared up on the screen.

"Very good, Zim," Purple answered happily.

It had taken several years, but Zim had finally managed to get the Tallest interested in Earth, even though Zim hadn't known the entire time that they could care less. Until now.

"We've got to hand it to ya, Zim. You've done something that no other Invader has ever done before," Red praised proudly. Then he noticed something was a little off.

"Zim?" Purple had noticed too. "Have you gotten taller?"

As much as they could tell, Zim's torso did look a little longer. And they couldn't be sure, but it looked like his knees were sticking up out of the bottom of the screen.

"Oh, uh… yes. I have the sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with Earth's gravitational pull. Either that or alien puberty… whichever makes more sense," Zim answered, a little uncomfortably. Suddenly, a very high-pitched voice sounded behind Zim, who immediately got a look of annoyance on his face as he was gritting his teeth to try to keep from yelling.

"Where's my moose? WEE! Crazy TAQUITOS!"

"GIR!" Zim screamed behind him. "I'm talking to our leaders. Could you at least sit still for two seconds?"

"Nope! Weeeeee!"

GIR started to spin around Zim before jumping on top of his head and tap dancing.

"I'm doing the Tappy Dance!"

"Rrrrrrrrrrr," Zim was shaking from irritation.

"I'll call you back," Zim finally said before standing and grabbing GIR by the head and throwing him to the ground.

"Could you obey me, please, just ONE time!"

The transmission cut off and the screen went black.

"I hope Zim knows what he's doing," Purple said as he turned to look at his friend.

"He's really proven himself these past years. And to think, we used to hate his guts," Red answered smiling.

"Who would've thought that he would give us the most bountiful planet of all?"

Purple and Red nodded approvingly and proudly as they thought of what they were about to get their hands on.

"Now what are we going to do about Zim's growth spurt?" Red asked suddenly.

"As soon as he gets back, we shrink him," Purple answered quickly, not wanting to lose their position of power to Zim if he got taller than them.

"Agreed."

Chapter 1:

The New Girl

"Hello Zim," Dib's aggravating voice came from behind my back. I immediately gritted my teeth as I slammed my locker shut and pivoted to glare at my arch nemesis.

"Hello Dib," I said in a voice that mimicked his.

"So Zim, any new alien plans for today?" he smirked at me.

I felt the strong impulse to stick my tongue out at him. But I resisted it because I did have another plan. But he was never going to know. No one would know until it was too late.

"Hmph," I simply grunted before turning and walking down the hallway.

"I'll get you Zim! Just wait and see!" Dib shouted after me.

"Ah put a lid on it Dib," said a kid walking past him.

"Yea Dib, you've been a jerk to Zim ever since he moved here," said another.

"That's because he's an alien! Don't you see? He's going to kill us all!" Dib yelled back at the others.

I ignored him as I continued walking. Everyone was used to me now that it had been several years and we were all in high school. Dib and I were juniors while his little sister Gaz was a sophomore. Both were still getting on my nerves. But now everyone seemed to like the "green kid" more and more while they all hated the "crazy kid" more and more. When will he ever give up?

I guess it was a good thing I randomly got taller. I was still shorter than most kids but I was still taller than I should've been. Even the Almighty Tallest noticed. If it continued, I would be taller than them! And I knew they wouldn't like that. Nor did I want to be taller than them. I was fine with my height before. But as everyone else grew, I remained small. It started to get to me after a while, but then when I woke up one morning during freshman year, I was unnaturally tall. Unnatural for an Irk that is. Now I'm this long legged, green skinned, "kid" without ears or a nose, and only three fingers on each hand. It's a wonder no one has noticed how different I am from them. Everyone except Dib that is. And Gaz but she doesn't even care.

When I finally got to my Biology classroom, I slumped into my seat and waited for the last bell to ring. Thank the Irken Armada that this was the last hour of the day. I didn't think I could take much more of this. I ignored Dib as he walked into the classroom and gave me that stupid look of his that says, "I know what you are." That filthy Earth boy was going to be the first to be experimented on when the Planet Irk took over this pathetic rock. Thankfully this was the only class I had with him.

When the bell rang, our teacher, Mrs. Singh, stood in front of the class like she always did and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Class, I have an announcement to make," she said in that squeaky human voice of hers. "We have a new student coming to join us. She just moved here from Europe."

Everyone was immediately interested. A foreign student, was whispered among the rows of paired desks.

"Earth filth, " I muttered under my breath as I placed a hand under my chin and immediately got a bored look on my face. I knew that the new girl would have to sit next to either Dib or myself. We were the only ones without partners at our tables and when Mrs. Singh had tried to partner us at the beginning of the year, we both refused and gave her a terrible time about it. She finally gave up since we worked better alone but now one of us was going to have to deal with a partner. A _female _partner. I shuddered. I couldn't stand the humans. And one thing that I had learned over the years was that female humans especially liked to talk. And I couldn't stand it! I sighed and prepared myself for the fate that was either mine or Dib's.

"Everyone, meet Sasha Rouvillois," Mrs. Singh introduced as she opened the door and the most beautiful female I had ever seen walked into the room. My eyes immediately popped opened and the bored look vanished as I stood up straight. My hand dropped from my chin as I examined the Earth girl. She had an hourglass shaped body with curves in all the right places. Her hair was auburn, long, and pin straight with bangs that were parted to the side so they swept across her forehead. Her skin was white like wintry cream with a warm inviting rose undertone and her eyes were like emeralds and framed by long dark eyelashes. Her pale lips spread into a shy smile as she said, "Hello," in an enchanting melancholy voice. She wore a teal shirt that was a little too low cut and hugged her chest with sleeves that came to her elbows. She was also wearing dark skinny jeans with an old pair of sneakers. And for some strange reason, she took my breath away. But I wasn't the only one. All of the boys had glazed and dreamy looks on their faces. Especially Dib. He turned to glare at me. I glared back. Now we waited to see who she would sit next to.

"Sasha," Mrs. Singh began. Suddenly, the room was filled with catcalls as boys started calling her "baby" and other things along those lines. I couldn't help but notice that Dib was one of them. Mrs. Singh noticed too. She had a disapproving look on her face as Sasha blushed and look really uncomfortable. It seemed like I was the only one who wasn't cheering for her. I remained sitting silently, secretly agreeing with some of the remarks that were being thrown out about her incredibly good looks. I immediately felt self-conscious of my own appearance. She would surely notice my differences.

"Sasha you will sit with Zim, the green kid in the middle," she continued once the remarks had died away. I smiled warmly and Sasha smiled back. Might as well make a good first impression, since I wasn't going to have to deal with the humans for much longer. She too had noticed that I hadn't partaken in the catcalls. She started to walk towards my desk, ignoring the looks some of the boys gave her. That was when I noticed something was wrong with her legs. Normal filthy human eyes wouldn't have noticed, but my superior eyesight allowed me to see the extremely small limp in her walk, the way her legs shook ever so slightly as she lifted one before the other. When she sat down, I immediately looked back up at her face. She was even prettier up close.

"So you're Zim," she said in her sweet melodic voice.

"So you're Sasha," I answered a little shyly. She smiled before turning back to the front as Mrs. Singh started talking.

What was I doing? I shouldn't be feeling this way about some pathetic little Earth human! I didn't care how beautiful she was. She was the enemy, I was going to destroy her right after I destroyed Dib, who was now glaring at me so ferociously, I couldn't help but stick my tongue out just a tiny bit.

"Alright class, we're going to start with a lab today. This lab will introduce the next section we will be learning about," Mrs. Singh said as she pulled out the supplies and then handed them to each table.

"Now," she said after she had given everyone their supplies. "You and your partner must make a baby out of these supplies," she added as one of the boys reached for his female partner. I didn't understand the gesture or the look Mrs. Singh gave him.

Everyone groaned as they realized what they were about to learn for the next few weeks. I had no clue what she was talking about and I had no idea why everyone was moaning. Sasha sighed before turning to me.

"You wanna start?" she asked before smiling gently.

"Human babies are made out of pieces of Earth trash?" I asked holding up an empty can of Coke. It would make sense since they were such terrible and monstrous creatures.

"Um… no," she answered awkwardly. "It's a million times more complicated that that."

I stared at her for a while. Was she blushing? But then the unspeakable happened and I realized that this worthless female human was much more dangerous than she looked.

"Zim, your hands," she said worried as she picked one up and looked at it.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I snapped as I swiped my hand away.

"You only have three fingers! What happened?" she asked, a little hurt by my yelling.

Miserable human swine! Why did she have to be one of the observant Earthlings? So far, I had figured out that these humans weren't very bright. They only see what they want to see and they don't ask questions. Why did she have to be intelligent? Why out of all people, did she have to sit next to me? She was going to notice things she shouldn't notice. I was probably going to have to dispose of her BEFORE I disposed of Dib. I felt like screaming as I gritted my teeth together and turned my head away, glaring at the floor.

"It was an accident. I don't want to talk about it," I seethed through my teeth. When I glanced up, Dib was smirking. He had heard us.

"Filthy humans," I mumbled low enough that no one would hear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring on a bad memory," she whispered sadly. I could hear that she truly was sorry. I could hear the pity and hurt and understanding in her voice. That _voice_! Why did I suddenly feel ready to forgive her? This female was dangerous. She had incredible persuasive powers. I made a mental note to research further into this "Europe" from which she came from. Perhaps the people there were much more observant and smarter and much more advanced. This would be a problem for me in the future.

"It's ok," I said trying to make my voice sound calm and forgiving as I lifted my head to look at her. I resisted the urge to puke as I did. "It's something that brings me a lot of anger and pain."

"I understand," she said smiling warmly.

"So shall we get started?" I asked as I noticed that everyone else had gotten somewhere on their "project."

"Sure."

It was miserable work, making a bunch of pieces of trash and other odds and ends

fit together to make a little human child sculpture. That was when I noticed how bony and skilled Sasha's fingers were. They could fit the smallest things together and make the tiniest adjustments. I admit, I admired her concentration and patience and skill with her fingers. It wasn't long before we were done and were waiting for everyone else.

"So," striking up a conversation. "Where did you live in… Europe?"

"France mostly," she answered as Mrs. Singh walked around to inspect our work. "My father and I traveled a lot. That was before he died…"

I was a little taken aback by the comment. I had yet to understand death in this world. But I could tell that it was a bad thing to these humans and it caused them great suffering and pain. I tried to use that to my advantage once but thanks to that worthless Dib, my ingenious plan didn't work.

"I'm sorry," I said as I laid my chin on my hand and simply stared at her, pretending to look sorry.

"It's ok. That's why I moved here to live with my aunt and uncle."

"What about your mom?"

"She died years ago, when I was still a child."

So she has lost both of her parents. Which made her an orphan. Which made her more vulnerable. It would be easy to destroy her from the inside out when she was already heart-broken about her parents. I tried to keep the evil smirk from crossing my face as I thought of all the things I could do to her that would tear her apart emotionally.

"That's horrible. What happened?" I pretended to sound sympathetic as I drummed my fingers on the table, thinking of how to go about my plan to get this dangerous and beautiful human out of the way.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said simply as several boys winked at her or made the "call me" sign. Now why did that annoy me? She rolled her eyes before smiling at me.

"Enough talk about sad things," she said, causing me to turn my attention back to the present.

"Huh? Oh! Oh yea. Uh… what part of France?" I improvised as I stored my ingenious plan somewhere safe inside my head where I could access it later.

"Toulouse and Paris mostly," she answered as her eyes swept the room. "Like I said, we traveled a lot. But Paris was a wonderful place to learn about the Arts."

"The Arts? What…" I stopped myself from saying 'what are the arts?' just in time. She was too observant. She would notice something was wrong.

"What kind?" I asked instead.

"Music, painting, and sculpting," she said. "I used to do ballet but…"

She didn't finish her sentence. She simply looked back down at the table, refusing to meet my gaze. Confusing unworthy human.

"But?" I pressed, not being able to hold my curiosity.

"Nothing," she said curtly. I knew she wasn't going to answer. I was just about ready to scream and demand for her to tell me all of her secrets. But she wasn't like the others. I would have to learn to hold my tongue when she was around.

"I didn't mean to bring back a bad memory," I said using her same words and trying to get her to look at me again. It worked. She smiled as she turned to look at me.

"It's ok," she said just before Mrs. Singh began giving us more instructions.

"Now class, turn to page 301 in our books. As you have probably guessed, we will be talking about reproductive health."

"Woo! Sex Ed!" one boy in the back shouted. Quite a few other students joined in the raucous as they screamed about this thing called "sex." If I had an eyebrow, I would be raising it. Sasha rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Immature," she muttered as Mrs. Singh glared at the class.

"If you could be mature about this and start acting your age, we can get started!"

Slowly, the shouting and whooping died down and Mrs. Singh continued.

"Now, tomorrow, we will watch a video on reproductive health. Right now, I am going to pass out your homework. Use your textbooks to answer the questions. I'll see you all tomorrow."

The bell rang and we all began packing our stuff up.

"See you tomorrow Zim," Sasha said smiling as I stood and began walking towards the door.

"See ya," I answered as she also stood. I walked out of the door and didn't stop until I reached my locker where I picked up my things. I joined the crowd of students walking out the front door. Once outside, I moaned and immediately went back inside.

"I hate rain," I muttered as I walked back down the hallways. I would stay in the library until the rain stopped. I didn't have anything to protect me from that hideous liquid falling from the sky. I might as well get that wretched homework done.

"Stinky human Earth! I will be most pleased when my brilliant plan-"

I cut myself off. Because just then, I heard something come from the auditorium.

"What is that sound?" I asked myself. I silently slipped through the doors and was surprised to see Sasha sitting on a bench in front of a black contraption. I recognized the sound as music, GOOD music I might add. But what was she playing? The instrument stood on three legs with some kind of pedal in between the front two where Sasha's foot would go up and down as she played with her long talented fingers. A stick propped up the top, and that was where the sounds were coming from.

I was enchanted by the sounds coming from the instrument. So complex and beautiful and extraordinary. It made me wonder how only two human hands could make such magnificent music. I walked closer and closer to the stage where Sasha sat playing, unaware of my presence. I must learn the secret to this hypnotic noise. This could serve me well in the future. Silently, I walked up the steps to the stage and in no time at all, I was behind her, watching her fingers fly and dance up and down a black and white keyboard. When I looked in front of her, I saw a sheet covered in black markings. Apparently, it was some kind of language that told Sasha what keys to press and what to do at certain intervals.

I closed my eyes and listened for a few seconds. Then when I opened my eyes, I seemed to understand the piece she was playing and when I watched her fingers and the pieces of paper, I understood the pattern. Each marking stood for a key on the keyboard. It didn't take long for my superior brain to figure out how to play this instrument. When I looked at the paper longer, I saw the title. "Liebestraum No. 3" by Franz Liszt. Suddenly, without me even registering it in my brain, my fingers were there on the keys with Sasha's. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sasha gasp from surprise before turning her head to look at me without stopping the music. But then she smiled as we continued playing. I moved only my eyes to look at her surprisingly beautiful face and I smiled as well. She was still looking at me. I couldn't do it as long as she could though. I had to look back at my fingers to make sure I knew what I was doing. I may have a superior brain than hers, but she without a doubt had more experience. She moved to the left a little so that I could sit and play with her. It felt weird, having her body be so close to mine. I could feel the warmth of her flesh as our arms brushed against each other and the occasional nudge of her shoulder against mine. She was playing a wider range than I was so naturally she had to move more. Which caused more contact between us. I simply stayed in the higher register. She still commanded the pedal and now that I looked closely, there were three of them. Her foot and leg brushed up against mine since the pedal she was using was the one that was on the far right, where my left leg was. It did strange things to me, having her so close, having her touch me. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't.

When the song was finished, we sat there in silence, letting the last note drift before she turned to me and said, "I didn't know you played piano."

"I didn't know you played either," I answered, trying to make sure she didn't see that I had no idea what a piano was until this moment.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

I quickly came up with an excuse before she noticed that I was hiding something.

"My ride can't come pick me up and I hate walking in the rain," I lied smoothly.

"Oh! Well if you want, my aunt can drop you off," she said smiling.

"Wait, who's your aunt?" I asked shocked. If her aunt was here, than why was she in the auditorium playing piano?

"Mrs. Singh," she answered shrugging.

My jaw dropped as she revealed this information to me.

"Mrs. Singh is your aunt?" I repeated shocked.

"Yea. I'm waiting for her to be done with her work. She can drop you off on our way home."

"But you look nothing alike!"

"That's because my uncle is my mom's brother. Mrs. Singh is only my aunt by marriage."

Then, the auditorium doors opened and Mrs. Singh walked through.

"Ok Sasha I'm ready to go," she said as she walked down the aisle. "Oh! Hi Zim," she added once she saw me.

I waved and smiled.

"Aunt Shelby, could we give Zim a ride home?" Sasha asked from around me since I was closer to the seats than she was.

"Sure! Just grab your stuff and we can get going," she answered as she picked up Sasha's pack,

"I can carry it myself, Aunt Shelby," Sasha said a little sorely as she stood and walk towards her aunt.

"Are you sure?" she asked worried as I followed her.

"Yes. I'm not helpless."

Mrs. Singh unwillingly gave Sasha her backpack. I was confused about the exchange but I didn't ask questions. I already had too much to do once I got back to the base.

We went outside and Mrs. Singh made us wait while she went out into the rain and brought her car around to where we stood. Luckily, I had purchased a jacket several weeks ago and I used that to cover my head as we both ran to the car. I got a little burned on my arms and legs but nothing too serious. However, I did have to try my best to cover up the steam before anyone noticed. Once inside, Mrs. Singh turned to me and said, "Which way?"

I told her my address and she put the car in drive. The car ride was silent as the vehicle turned around the corners and down the streets. It wasn't long before we were outside my house.

"Interesting color choice," Sasha stated as I opened the car door and pulled my jacket up.

"Uh…" curse this girl for being so observant! "My parents have weird taste," I quickly lied.

"No it's fine. I like it. It's different," she smiled at me.

"Well thanks for the ride but I really must be going."

"Bye Zim," both Mrs. Singh and Sasha said at the same time.

I pulled the jacket over my head as I slammed the car door shut and ran to the house. I ripped the door open just in time. I was starting to steam again.

"Curse this wretched planet!" I seethed as I tried to keep from shouting in pain. GIR immediately jumped up from the couch.

"Master! Look what I can do!"

"Not now GIR," I answered as I pulled my jacket off and closed the door. Mechanical arms came out and took off the contacts and wig as I threw my homework on the kitchen table.

"Computer, finish all homework," I commanded as I went straight to the trashcan and jumped in.

"Yes master," its mechanical voice responded as I went down into the base. Suddenly, GIR was on my head.

"Whatcha doin?" he asked in that annoyingly high-pitched voice of his.

"The Tallest need to know about Sasha. She's a threat to our mission. With her observant European eyes, she could bring us to our knees. I only hope Dib doesn't get to her. She'll without a doubt see the truth."

"Sasha?"

"The new girl at school," I explained.

"Oooooo! Is she pretty?"

"Yes."

"Tall?"

"Yes."

"Do you like her?"

"Ye- NO! She's nothing but another vile human. A dangerous one. She may be even more dangerous than Dib."

"But she's pretty!"

"YES SHE'S PRETTY! But that doesn't matter."

GIR started to randomly sing one of his aggravating little songs as we got down to the base. I immediately took GIR off my head and placed him on the ground as I walked over to the large screen in front.

"Computer, send a transmission to the Tallest. We have things to discuss."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Complications

"She'll be no trouble though. She's just like all the other humans, yes?" Purple said after I had explained everything about Sasha Rouvillois.

"I'm afraid not my Tallest. She's observant and actually exceptionally intelligent from what I can tell so far. She's not like the other humans," I answered unhappily.

"Perhaps she is some other creature then," Red suggested as Purple contemplated what I had said.

"Negative. She is indeed a human. I can smell it. Although she doesn't smell nearly as bad as the others."

"Well what does she look like?"

I reached behind me and pulled out a photo. I had secretly taken a small picture of Sasha while we were in the car.

"Here she is," I said as I showed them the photo.

The Tallest immediately spat out the soda they were drinking and then ran forward to get a better look at the screen.

"THAT'S her?" they said at the same time.

"I'm afraid so."

"My God, Zim, she's GORGEOUS!" Purple said a little dazed.

"I know."

"This remarkably good-looking creature is the source of your problems?" Red asked stunned.

"Yes."

The Tallest contemplated this for a while. They studied her photo for a few seconds before they finally gave an answer.

"It'd be a pity to destroy her. Actually Zim, she may be of some use to us," Red said gazing at Sasha's picture.

"How so?"

"You say she is intelligent, yes?" Purple asked smiling.

"Correct."

"Well than use her knowledge to learn more about the humans. Befriend her, make it seem like you're her friend, make her trust you. And if it's necessary, make her fall in love with you. She'll give you answers without realizing what she's doing."

"And then when we have everything we need, I'll betray her and the whole planet! Genius! Wonderful plan, Almighty Tallest," I praised as I thought of all the ways I could betray that wretched despicable human and her planet.

"Thank you," Purple said proudly.

"I must go. I need to do some research. Zim out," I said before I cut the transmission.

"Oh, GIR. The things I could do to that miserable pathetic female. But that will have to wait. Now I must research this… "Europe" that Sasha comes from."

GIR didn't respond. When I looked over to see what he was doing, he had Sasha's picture in his arms, hugging it.

"GIR! Focus!"

"But my tacos!"

"Ugh! Fine. Admire her pathetic face. I'll find Eur-"

"Master, I have found some information in your homework that may prove valuable," the computer's voice appeared.

"Information? About what?"

"About the humans."

I was glad that I had made instructions for the computer to tell me if there was any valuable information in my homework. It had proved worthy before, and now it would prove worthy again.

"Excellent. What is it?"

"It's the human's reproductive system. It's how they multiply."

So THAT was what our biology homework was about. And they had called it "sex" in the classroom.

"Interesting."

I wondered how different their system was from ours. Surely it wasn't too different.

"Very well. I will do that homework myself. Carry on with the rest."

"Yes, master."

I returned to my research of Europe. Apparently it was another continent across the Atlantic Ocean from where we were in America. When I looked further into it, I saw that it wasn't much different from this place. So why was she so much more intelligent than the others? Maybe it was the music. I looked up all I could about pianos and music and all kinds of the arts but I couldn't find anything that would make her more observant or knowledgeable. I started to hate this human more and more as she continued to confuse and baffle me. What was it about her that made her so different? Finally, I gave myself a break and went back upstairs to check out what this system for reproduction was for the humans. However, I soon wished I hadn't.

"WHAT IS THIS?"

I was ready to hurl and throw the textbook away. And I thought humans were disgusting with their clothes ON! Ok sure our parts were similar but….. EEH!

"Computer!" I was trying my best not to throw up. "Finish homework."

"Yes master."

"I think I'm gonna be sick… GIR?"

"Yay! Bucket time!"

Finally, I had to give in. GIR came just in time for me to throw up.

"I never want to see that again," I said once I was finished.

It was going to be a long couple of weeks at school as we learned about this whole thing. I shuddered at the thought of it. How would I get by?

"So Zim, how's sitting next to Sasha?" Dib's incredibly aggravating voice came from behind me. It was lunch already and I could see Sasha had already made a few friends, who she was sitting next to now. At least Dib hadn't managed to tell her what I was yet.

"Go away filthy Earth boy," I said as I picked around at my food.

"She's bound to figure out what you are Zim. It's only a matter of time. Then she'll help me turn you in. She'll hate you Zim. I'm gonna make sure of it."

I stood menacingly, glaring so ferociously at Dib that he looked a little uneasy.

"I said, Go away," I repeated, my fists shaking.

"I'll get you Zim. Just wait and see."

It took every fiber of my being to keep from picking up my tray and throwing it at his gargantuan head. He turned and walked back to his little sister as I sat and began playing with my food again. I couldn't understand how these humans could stand this filth. But then someone pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. When I looked up, I saw it was Sasha.

"Hi," she said smiling.

"Hi," I replied confused. What did she want? I was ready to tell her to leave me alone but then I remembered the plan that the Tallest and I had concocted. I needed to make her believe I was her friend. I needed to her trust me. And if it was necessary, make her love me. I needed to be as gentle and sweet with her as possible, no matter HOW much I hated her.

"What was that all about?" she asked furrowing her brow. She was confused too, about what was wrong with Dib and myself.

"It's complicated," I answered putting my fork down.

I sighed before looking back up at her.

"Dib hates my guts," I said shrugging.

"Why?"

I shrugged again.

"Ever since I moved here he's hated me and called me an alien just because my skin is green."

"Why is your skin green? If you don't mind me asking."

I could hear the fear in her voice when she added the last part. I had scared her yesterday when I had yelled at her about my hands. I would have to eliminate that fear if I wanted her to trust me.

"It's a skin condition. I was born with it. The doctors have no idea what it is though so they have no idea what to do," I said gently.

"And is the fact that your ears and nose are gone part of that skin condition?"

I nodded.

"Huh…" she looked perplexed. I knew she would be. An intelligent girl like her would definitely be confused about something like this, something she couldn't explain.

"Hey Sasha!" one of her friends called her table. "You don't have to take pity on the freak. Come back over here."

Sasha looked upset as she frowned at her friend.

"It's ok," I reassured her. "I've been the freak ever since I moved here."

"But you're not a freak," she said gently.

"They don't care. This is the way it's been for years. I don't mind it, really."

She looked upset about that. I knew she would try to defend me even more but I held up a hand and said, "Don't worry about it. I've never minded being alone."

She looked down at the floor.

"I still don't like it," she said after a while.

"You're too nice, Sasha," I tried flattering. Anything to get this strange girl to stop showing so much kindness. It perplexed me. No human had ever shown so much compassion and kindness towards me. I didn't know what to make of it.

She smiled at me before her friends called her over again.

"See you around," I said as she stood.

"See you Zim," she said as she began walking towards her table.

I couldn't help but feel relieved once she left. The rest of the day went smoothly but I couldn't help but feel a little sick as I walked into Biology. Sasha was already there, doodling on her notebook. She smiled up at me as I sat down. Once class started, Mrs. Singh turned off the lights and the chalkboard moved and there was a screen. The movie started and I immediately wished that I had skipped this class. The movie took the entire hour and by the time it was done, I was ready to hurl again. I was very glad that our system was much less complicated. When Mrs. Singh turned the lights back on, the awkwardness was almost tangible in the air.

"Well… uh… how was your day?" I asked trying to forget what I just saw.

"Good… yours?" she giggled.

"Ok. Until we watched that."

"I know what you mean."

We all sat there in silence, listening to Mrs. Singh talk before the bell rang.

"Bye Sasha," I said as I left.

"Bye Zim."

Now why was it that after she said my name, I felt very, very, very strange? Something just all of a sudden came over me that caused me to turn once I got to the door and look at her. She looked back. I could fell my eyes just travel unconsciously up and down her hourglass shaped body before returning to her eyes. She smiled and waved. I raised my hand and waved back before I regained control over myself and turned and walked out of the classroom. What was that? That unexplainable feeling that coursed through my veins. That urge, no, that NEED to turn around and take one last look at her. It perplexed me so much that I didn't even notice Dib when he came up to me and started talking as I walked home.

"ZIM!"

I jumped back so violently that I hit Dib with one of my arms and we both fell into a puddle.

"AAAAHHH! AH AHH AAAAAHHH!"

The water burned my skin so ferociously that I couldn't help but scream. I could feel the liquid create a layer of burns as it seared through my skin. I only stopped once I heard Dib start laughing. That's when the unspeakable happened. Again.

"Zim!"

"Oh please no," I managed to breathe. I knew that voice.

"Sasha," I said her name as I looked up and saw her worried face bent over me. I tried not to scream when she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Zim! What happened?" she turned to Dib and I couldn't be sure, but I thought she had an accusing look on her face.

"Nothing happened. He fell into this puddle and he started to burn up. It's because he's an alien. He can't stand water."

"Oh be serious," she said glaring up at him. For some reason, I was starting to like her a little more.

"I AM serious! He's an alien and he's allergic to water! I mean come on, look at him!"

"Dib honestly that is the most pathetic excuse I have ever heard. And I've heard some pretty pathetic ones. That's like asking your child after you come home from church, 'What'd you learn today?' and they answer 'Jesus?'. I mean seriously!"

I couldn't help but snicker after she said that.

"Now are you going to tell me what you did or not?"

"But he's-"

"I don't believe in that paranormal junk, Dib. So don't go and try to convince me."

A crowd had gathered and they all saw me crumpled on the sidewalk with Dib standing over me and Sasha by my side. Soon, people began to whisper ideas about what had happened. Dib and I got into a fight, Dib finally lost it, Dib decided to test one of his experiments on me, and many more. It didn't matter though. Because as long as I was in this puddle, I was going to keep burning. It didn't help that a car drove by and splashed a lot more water onto us. Sasha blocked most of it, but what did get on me caused me to scream ever more. I thrashed and tried to get out of that puddle but it was no use. It all hurt too much.

Now everyone was glaring at Dib. Thankfully, no one made the connection that after the water hit me, I started to scream more. They probably assumed it was a coincidence. When I opened my eyes to look up at Sasha, she looked so worried and scared that I knew just then, why it was I had to look back at her in the classroom. She cared about me. No one had ever cared about me before, not in the way she did. When I turned around to look at her, it was because I didn't want to leave her. She was too kind, too selfless, and too gentle. I subconsciously wanted to stay with her positive and pleasant self. Subconsciously, I wanted to stay with her while the other part of me made me think that I wanted nothing to do with her. This girl definitely WAS the source of all my problems. She was more trouble than she was worth.

Sasha gently picked up my body and she held me in her lap, up away from the water. I could've kissed that girl for doing that. But to make sure people didn't make the connection between me and the water, I screamed out again, clenching and unclenching my fists. I threw my head back and forth, thrashing around. But then, fate was not kind to me on this day, it started to rain! Of course I began steaming and I couldn't help but scream even louder. Mrs. Singh came and both her and Sasha carried me to her car.

"We're taking you to my uncle. He's a doctor. He'll be able to help you," Sasha said soothingly as they laid me in the back seat and she put my head in her lap.

"NO, no, no! No doctors," I said, trying to keep from screaming again. Too late. The car was moving and there was no way I could move anyway. I would've loved to see Dib's face as we drove away but the pain was too much. The steam died away as we got closer and closer to Sasha's house.

"It's a good thing he took the day off," Mrs. Singh said as she drove up the driveway. I couldn't see what the house looked liked, but I could tell it was huge. Mrs. Singh and Sasha carried me into the house but we were all soaked and the burns started to flare up again.

"Please, no! No doctors!" I tried to get them to take me home. But they didn't listen. My life was now going to be ruined.

"Uncle Tyler!" Sasha screamed out as they dragged me into the house. I didn't pay attention to what the house looked like. They carried me into an office that looked surprisingly a lot like the doctor's offices on TV.

"My God, what happened?" I heard a male voice say as Sasha and Mrs. Singh placed me on a table. It was most likely Mr. Singh.

"We don't know," Mrs. Singh said as the male bent over me and took my arm. He pulled my glove off and looked at my arm.

"Why is your skin green?" he asked suspiciously.

"Skin condition," I muttered as I felt the burns already healing.

All of them watched as the burns that had been covering me earlier started to heal rapidly.

"My God," Mr. Singh repeated as they watched. Soon, I was able to sit up without causing myself large amounts of pain. Reluctantly, I looked up into Sasha's shocked eyes.

"He didn't do anything drastic," I quickly lied. "It was a mild allergic reaction."

"Mild? Zim, you were covered in burns and you were thrashing all around!" Sasha said as she helped me stand.

"I know. I've had worse. It wasn't as bad as it could get."

"It gets worse?" she looked shocked and scared for my safety. "This has happened before?"

"Only a few times," I shrugged.

"What are you allergic too?" Mrs. Singh asked, she too was shocked by what had just happened.

That threw me off. I couldn't think of anything fast enough. My eyes darted around the room, hoping to find some inspiration. When I looked at Mr. Singh's desk, I saw an orange and I quickly blurted out, "Citrus."

"Citrus? Citrus acid?" Mr. Singh repeated,

"You mean like lemons and oranges?" Sasha asked.

"Yea."

"But then how…"

"I think Dib may have put some lemon juice in my water bottle. It did taste lemony when I drank it. I thought it might have been something else. But apparently not."

Sasha's brow furrowed as I said this. I could easily tell that she didn't like Dib that much.

"Are you sure you're ok?" she asked worried. I smiled and nodded.

"My parents will be worried about me," I said as I began walking towards the door.

"Let me drive you home," Mrs. Singh offered. I accepted gratefully, considering it hadn't stopped raining.

"Zim," Sasha walked with us into the garage. When I turned around, she cautiously stepped forward and hugged me. My body reacted instantly. I could feel those same strange feelings crawling around in my body as my arms wrapped around her waist. I was so stunned, I didn't even mind her hugging me. No one had ever gotten this close to me asides from GIR but he doesn't count. When she let me go, I reluctantly released her as well. That closeness was something I liked for some strange reason. I felt an odd urge to stay and protect her when in reality, I was the one she needed protection from.

"See you tomorrow," she said as she turned and walk back into the house. I stood there for a few seconds, still too stunned to comprehend what had just happened. Sasha was making me rethink everything I knew about the human race.

"Come on Zim. Let's take you home," Mrs. Singh called from inside the car.

I walked numbly to the car door and I barely felt the car move as she drove down the road. This female human was going to be the death of me.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Annoyances

It has been about a month since Sasha first arrived. Our relationship has slowly been developing. Now, we talk to each other about all kinds of things. She comes and sits with me at lunch sometimes and then afterwards, I walk her to her next class since our 5th hours are close together. People look at us in the hallway and think we're an "item." And every time Dib sees the two of us together, he glares even more ferociously at me. He's tried many times to get Sasha to believe that I'm an alien but each time she has an even better comeback. And each time she says one, Dib looks like he just got slapped and I start liking her more and more. It's gotten to a point where I don't mind being around her. We've even had many laughs together. And I'm starting to get worried. I shouldn't be liking her this much. Besides, I was just going to destroy her anyway, once this whole thing was done. And liking her would make it even harder.

"Hello children," the morning announcer came up on the intercom, "We have several announcements to make. The Homecoming dance is in two weeks on Friday so don't forget to purchase your tickets."

The class erupted in a chorus of excitement. Girls started giggling about who they wanted to go with and guys were discussing who to ask. I heard Sasha's name more than a few times. Now why did that make me aggravated? Sure she was my "friend" but that didn't mean that I was the only one who could be around her. So why did I feel angry and possessive and why are my fists clenched? That's how I spent the entire day. Hearing Sasha's name repeated over and over again, feeling the same angry and possessive feelings. Only when I was with Sasha did those feelings go away. But when I would leave her and hear everything those boys were saying, the feelings would come back. That was when I decided to take our "relationship" and actually do something with it. I needed as many answers as possible. And I needed Sasha to give them to me. So, I decided that I would need to find some way to spend time with her after school ended. That way she could give me all the answers I needed without Dib interrupting or without teachers and other students butting in. It took me several days, but I finally managed to think of a way to do it.

We were in class and Mrs. Singh had given us work time when I brought up my plan.

"So, Sasha," I started as I filled in a couple of the answers on our homework.

"Hmm?"

"I'm not doing so good with this section we're learning in Biology and I was wondering if…"

"If I would tutor you," she finished as she looked up at me. I smiled and nodded.

She smiled back before saying, "Of course, Zim! I'd be happy to. We could even do it in my backyard."

"Great!"

"What time?"

"What times would be good for you?"

"I don't care. I'm free anytime."

"What about after school?"

"Every day?"

I shrugged.

"If it's ok with you."

She smiled and nodded.

"Cool. We can start today. If it's ok with your parents," she added.

I told her that I could call them once I got to her house to tell them where I was. Then the bell rang and everyone gathered their stuff to leave. That was when a boy came up to Sasha.

"Hey Sasha," he said as he leaned against the desk. I tried to ignore him, but I knew exactly what he was going to do.

"Hi James," she replied sweetly.

"So I was wondering," he started slowly. I couldn't help but grit my teeth and clench my fists, which were lying on my legs.

"I already have someone to go to the dance with," Sasha said before he could even get it out.

"Oh. Oh that's cool. Ok. Uh… with who?"

"Not you," she said as she put her books into her bag.

I turned my head to the left to hide my smirk. But who was this other person she was going with?

I didn't have to be looking at James to feel his hateful gaze on my face.

"Is it with Zim?" he asked suspiciously.

"No. It's not actually," she replied coolly.

"Oh! Well… ok see you around," he said a little confused as he walked away. Sasha and I walked to my locker to grab my stuff before we went back to Mrs. Singh's classroom to wait for her to be done.

"So who are you going to the dance with?" I asked casually.

"Dib."

I was so stunned that I didn't pay attention to where I was going and I ran right into the wall, missing the doorway entirely.

"You don't mind do you?" she asked quickly.

"No, of course not it's just that YOU'RE GOING TO THE DANCE WITH DIB?"

Sasha looked guilty and a little upset about my reaction.

"He's not that bad…"

My surprise immediately turned to anger, which turned into what I now recognize as jealousy. I didn't want to seem jealous, that would most likely only make her even more upset.

"Fine," I said simply as I walked right past her into Mrs. Singh's room. Thankfully, she wasn't there. She was probably out making copies or something.

"Fine? That's all you're going to say? Fine?" she said a little aggravated herself.

"Yea all I'm going to say is fine!" I pivoted and stared her right in the face. She was only inches away from me.

"Why are you getting so worked up over this?"

"I'm not worked up. I'm just confused. Only a few days ago you were yelling in his face about how he was inconsiderate of other people's feelings, especially mine."

"Well this morning he came up to me and apologized and he said he would apologize to you as soon as he could and then he asked me to the dance."

"Ok. That's fine. Thanks for clearing it up," I said as I leaned against our desk and smiled.

"Wait… you're not jealous are you?" she asked as she walked over to me and stood only inches away.

"Who, me? No! No of course not. I was just confused."

She raised an eyebrow but soon Mrs. Singh came in and we let the subject drop.

Oh course I was jealous! DIB? Out of every boy in the entire school she had to choose Dib? I clenched onto the side to the desk to keep from smacking some sense into her. He wasn't going to apologize to me! He KNEW what I was! No girl was going to change his mind about capturing me. I couldn't believe that I was trying to make a girl who liked my arch-nemesis like ME instead! Ugh this was so aggravating. These pitiful humans were going to rue the day they messed with Zim! RUE IT!

"Zim?"

Sasha's voice snapped me back to the present. I hadn't realized that I had started daydreaming again about ways to kill Dib and all the other humans including Sasha.

"Yes?" I asked innocently.

"We're ready to go," she said smiling.

"Oh! Ok. Coming."

The three of us piled into Mrs. Singh's car and it wasn't long before we were in front of their house again. This time, I got a good look at it. It was a large white house, with a very modern design. The front doors were up a few stone steps, which had large bushes covered in roses on either side. A large arch stood over the steps and the patio was a considerably large size. There was a large lawn in front covered in freshly mown green grass. Mrs. Singh pulled into the garage and I couldn't admire the large structure anymore. However the inside was just as exquisite. I "called" my house and "told" my "parents" that I was at a friend's house and wouldn't be back until later.

I shrugged out of my jacket and handed it to Sasha. She took it and hung it on a hook by the door. When she turned around to lead me to the back door, Mrs. Singh called out, "Sasha, wait! You know I don't like it when you go around barefoot."

"Aunt Shelby I can walk just fine without those stupid shoes."

"But Sasha…"

"I'll be fine. Besides I won't be alone, I've got Zim," she interrupted as she opened the back door and we went outside onto another patio. Trees and all kinds of flowers surrounded the backyard. Sasha led me to a porch swing that was big enough for both our stuff and us. She sat on one end, I sat one the other. In between us was our work.

"So, where do you want to start?" she asked smiling a little awkwardly.

But I was curious about the little exchange back in the house. I pretended to look a little confused and upset.

"What was that back there?" I asked jerking my head towards the house.

Sasha was taken off guard by the question. But her expression turned sad as she brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"It's a long story," she said refusing to meet my gaze. I simply crawled over all of our stuff until I was right in front of her. I took one of her hands in one of mine and then placed the other one under her chin and forced her to look up at me.

"We've got time," I answered unnaturally sweet. I guess something in my expression or voice or maybe even both encouraged her to tell me. Because just then, she sighed and then began to talk.

"I was just a child, only five-years-old. My parents and I had just moved from New York to France to be with my extended family. My mother was still getting used to driving on the other side of the road. On our way home from my ballet lesson, we got in a car accident. A bad one too. My mother was killed instantly. But as for me, the entire engine came out of the front and crushed my legs. They rushed me to the hospital as soon as possible. Everyone thought I wouldn't make it. But I've always been a stubborn child. I refused to die. But the doctors told me that I would never walk ever again. I refused to believe it. I didn't want to be in a wheelchair all my life. Gradually over time, my legs healed and soon they were healed enough to support my weight, but only barely. It was like being a baby and learning how to walk all over again. I did it, obviously, but even now I have trouble. Sometimes my legs just give out and they won't work. Sometimes it hurts just too bad. And then after my father died, and I moved here to be with my aunt and uncle, it got even worse. Aunt Shelby had been taking so many precautions it's not even funny. But I refuse to give up. They'll be strong again someday. Just wait."

I listened intently. Her story made sense. It explained that small limp, the way her legs shook. It explained why Mrs. Singh was acting so overly protective. I had newfound respect for this girl. But this proved her more and less dangerous. More because she was persistent and strong and stubborn. Less because she was already very weak. I didn't know what I was going to do about her. I didn't know what to think. But then I realized I was _very_ close to her. I have no idea how I didn't notice before but now that she was done with her story, I could just feel her body temperature radiating from her skin and warming mine. And she didn't seem to care. She didn't seem to care that I was _still_ holding her hand, that my face was just inches from hers, that our bodies were practically touching. I have no idea how I didn't _notice_ this before! I don't even remember _moving_ so close. I could feel my cheeks grow warm and I knew I was blushing slightly. I slowly dropped her hand and crawled backwards to the other side of the bench. She stared at me blankly as I did.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, knowing she could hear.

She shrugged and said, "It's ok. There's nothing I can do about it now."

We stared at each other for a long time. I didn't realize that we were slowly leaning towards each other until Mrs. Singh came out and we snapped back up away from each other.

"How are you two do-" she stopped. She had noticed how quickly we pulled away.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked smiling.

"Aunt Shelby!" Sasha said blushing.

"Alright, alright, I'm going," she said holding up her hands. Then she gave Sasha this look that I didn't understand. Sasha rolled her eyes and nodded. I gave her a confused look but she shook her head.

"Ok why don't we start with the male body. Tomorrow we can talk about a female's."

I simply nodded.

And that's how our tutoring session began. By the end of it, I was appalled. Male humans were absolutely disgusting! I was afraid to learn about the females. At least we got all our homework done.

Mrs. Singh offered to drive me home when we were done but I insisted on walking. But not before Sasha gave me another hug and a kiss on the cheek. If I had a human heart, it would be skipping and thumping in my chest so loud that even Sasha would be able to hear it. The feeling of her lips on my skin made me feel strange inside. I couldn't understand anything about these emotions that she was making me feel. And I continued to think about them and ponder them as I walked back to the base. I didn't even notice GIR's usual ramble once I walked through the door. The mechanical arms came out and took my contacts and wig as I took off my black jacket and threw it on the couch. I ignored GIR completely as he danced around singing about Mexican food. I went to the trashcan and went straight to the base.

"Computer!"

"Yes, Master?"

"Contact the Tallest. And bring up the blueprints for the invasion battleship modifications."

"Yes, Master."

On a few of the smaller screens, different angles of the battleship blueprints appeared. And on the large screen, the Tallest's faces appeared.

"Hello Zim. How are things with Sasha?" Purple said once he saw it was me.

"Things are going well, my Tallest," I said trying to not grit my teeth. I didn't bother to mention that she was going out with someone else.

"I called to ask you a question about the invasion," I continued. "How long do you think it'll be before we're ready?"

"It depends, Zim. It depends on if our builders can work fast enough, our numbers get large enough, and if you can get enough information and finish the modifications and plan the actual invasion itself," Red answered. "A lot depends on you."

"I understand. I'm working on the modifications at this very moment. Once finished, I'll send them to you and at that moment will probably be the best time to start recruiting. I'll work on the actual invasion itself after I have enough information from Sasha. She's already proved most useful."

I didn't say what she was being useful in.

"I knew she would be."

"How is she anyway?" Purple asked smirking at me. I glared back and said through gritted teeth, "She's fine, my Tallest."

Both Purple and Red snickered and they continued to until I finally cut off the connection and turned back to the blueprints. I spent all night changing and rearranging the ships and turning them into the perfect war machines. I was combining human ideas and tactics with our own Irken technology. The humans wouldn't know what hit them. And not even Dib would be able to stop me.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Roque

Sasha continued to tutor me and although she didn't know it, give me information about the vital weak points of the human body. But she also continued to confuse and baffle me. Every time I was close to her, I felt the same strange warm feelings in my chest, the same irrational want to be near her and yet kill her at the same time. I couldn't understand! And every time I saw Dib with her or any other boy for that matter, I felt that same sudden jolt of jealousy that lasted until she was with me again. It frustrated me so much I felt ready to explode with fury! I hated it! I hated her with every fiber of my being. It was starting to drive me insane! But the funny thing was I never felt like that when she was around. I seemed to forget everything that I hated about her when I was with her. I couldn't help but smile and laugh with her and feel that incomprehensible need to be with her. And I couldn't understand it at all.

The dance was only days away and the excitement was almost tangible in the air. And my jealousy continued to get higher and higher. Sasha and Dib hung out a lot and we pretended to be ok with each other for Sasha's sake. And because we acted ok and Dib wasn't always yelling random things, Dib started to be liked more and more. I didn't mind that part but the fact that he and Sasha were now considered a "thing" drove me insane. I had to act fast if I was going to get all the answers I needed. But I didn't know how I was going to get Sasha to fall in love with me when Dib was in the way. And I couldn't kill him off because Sasha would suspect something. And with the dance only 2 days away, there was no way she was going to change her mind about who she was going with. But it was in Biology the next day that made me actually consider her changing her mind.

Mrs. Singh had given us time to work on our homework and Sasha and I were working together as usual. That was when she asked me.

"Are you going to the dance tomorrow?" she looked up into my eyes hopeful.

I stared back for a few seconds, trying to understand why she looked hopeful, but I couldn't seem to comprehend.

"No," I finally answered.

"Why? You couldn't get a date?" she asked furrowing her brow

"No I just don't want to go. And I can't dance," I said shrugging.

"Oh. Well it won't be the same without you," she said smiling sadly. She looked upset and sad that I wasn't going. And I could not figure out why! I've been thinking about Sasha non-stop lately. I can't seem to get her beautiful face out of my head, her warm touch, her sweet smile, or her gentle embrace. She was driving me crazy! Why would she want me to go? She was going to be with Dib all night. And the thought of that made me grit my teeth and clench my fists. Luckily, she didn't notice.

We talked for the rest of the hour about random little things before the bell rang and we waited together for Mrs. Singh.

"I'm not going to be able to study with you tomorrow because-"

"I know. You need to make yourself pretty for the dance. Although there's not much you have to do."

She blushed and smiled, as she looked down at the floor. Smooth, Zim. I didn't know I had it in me. When she looked back up, she was still blushing and smiling. I smiled back as I put my hands in my jacket pockets. Mrs. Singh came just then and we all left after that. That night Sasha and I talked about human growth and how they progressed from baby to adult. It was actually quite interesting to learn about. And Mrs. Singh brought out some pictures of Sasha when she was a baby once our homework was done. And I had to admit she was pretty darn cute. We looked through several of the photo albums together and I saw pictures of her parents before they were killed. It was amazing how much she looked like her mother. But with her father's eyes. And I could see a resemblance between Sasha's mother and Mr. Singh. It was actually quite enjoyable, and I although I would never admit it, I liked being so close to Sasha. The book was between us on both of our laps and we were so close that I had to put an arm behind her so she could lean closer into me. Our cheeks were only a couple of inches apart. At least they would be if I wasn't a head taller than her. I've still been continuing to grow in height the past few months. I'm now starting to get taller than most of the students. At least I was taller than Dib, which made me happy because now I could look down on him.

We looked at the pictures until it was time for me to go. Mrs. Singh once again offered to give me a ride home but I once again refused and said I would walk. All the way to the base I marveled over how warm and soft and comforting Sasha's skin was. I could still feel her warmth on the side of my body she was pressed against. Only once I was inside the base did I forget about Sasha. Simply because GIR broke my concentration.

"Yay! You is home! WAFFLE TIME!"

GIR ran back into the kitchen and I soon started to smell waffles cooking. It was strange that waffles were the only food here on Earth that didn't make me sick. Unless I ate too much of course. But I didn't move away from the door, even after the arms came out and took my disguise. I simply stood and stared. It seemed like I couldn't snap out of the trance I was in. That was when I realized that I was still thinking about Sasha. Apparently getting so close to her did strange things not only to my mind, but to my body. And seeing how she used to be and what she is now made me feel even more strange.

I had to admit there was an interesting kind of remarkableness to the way the filthy Earth humans grew and developed. I was a little fascinated and intrigued at how much Sasha had grown. She had started out as this adorable tiny little baby who eventually grew into the beautiful and elegant woman she was now. I leaned against the door and contemplated this as I slid down until I was sitting on the floor, one knee up, the other lying down. I didn't even bother to take off my jacket.

Of course us Irken were very similar, but we never knew our parents and our parents never knew us. We're born in capsules and then sent off immediately to report for duty. All of us have green skin and wear similar clothes and we share many other similarities. Humans shared many things as well but they were all so diverse and different from one another. There were no two that were alike. The Irken were so independent and alone all the time it was hard to compare us to each other. But the humans stuck together. They had families where a mother and father were always waiting to give their children love. The Irken know nothing of love. And all I know is what I've seen and heard, which wasn't much. To me, it was just a feeling that didn't mean anything. But to these humans, it seemed to be the most desirable thing.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the door as well, pondering everything. The humans were so different from my people. It was strange how three simple words could change theses human's lives forever. It was strange how simple metal bands around a silly finger could have so much meaning. It was so confusing. We didn't have these things on Planet Irk. It was every Irken for himself from the very start.

My concentration was once again broken as GIR ran up and handed me a plate filled with waffles.

"You look like you need waffles!"

I smiled at GIR even though he usually annoyed the crap out of me. He could be a wonderful companion every once and a while. And to tell the truth, I could use a little food at the moment.

"Thanks GIR," I said taking the fork that GIR was holding out for me. He smiled and then began running around the living room and rolling around on the floor screaming about cows and moose and pigs.

I ate the waffles while I watched him, amazed by how much energy one tiny little robot could have. It did get very annoying after a while but I dealt with it as I ate. When I was done, I stood and gave the plate to GIR, who immediately ran back into the kitchen. I finally shrugged out of my jacket and then went down into the base. I continued work on the modifications of the battleships all throughout the night until it was time for me to get ready for school. GIR surprisingly jumped up and gave me a hug before I left and said, "I love you," in that annoying voice of his. I simply shrugged him off and walked right out the door and straight to school. Those words meant nothing to me. Because that's all they were. Words.

I saw Sasha several times before class started and she smiled at me each time and waved. I smiled back but I kept my hands in my jacket pockets. Everyone was chattering excitedly about the dance tonight. I had work to do tonight. I couldn't waste my time on such trivial things.

The entire day went by smoothly. Except for those same feelings of jealousy as I saw Dib and Sasha together. But other than that, everything was fine. Especially in Biology. Because Sasha gave me another kiss on the cheek after the bell rang before I left and Dib saw. Hehehehe. Take that you filthy little Earth scum! He looked absolutely furious. But he composed himself before Sasha noticed. I went home alone that day because thankfully Dib had to get ready for the dance so he didn't bother me at all.

Once inside the base, GIR was waiting for me.

"MASTER!" he jumped up and hugged me again. I let him hug me for a little bit before I pushed him away.

"Look! There are moose in my head!" he opened the top of his head and showed me. There were probably 50 tiny stuffed moose crammed into GIR's head. I rolled my eyes as I shrugged out of my jacket.

"Yes, so you do."

"Did you bring me home a present?" GIR asked with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"No GIR," I said as the arms took my disguise. I was happy it was a Friday. That would give me the entire weekend to work on the modifications to the battleships without interruptions. With the exception of GIR, of course. So I began immediately. I went straight down to the base and continued my work. But there was only one problem. I couldn't concentrate. Instead of drawing out the design of the ships, I began drawing Sasha's name over and over again in different kinds of styles and I even found myself drawing her beautiful face smiling up at me. I stared dreamily at it for a while before I finally got control over myself and ripped up the pictures and tried to concentrate on the blueprints. It took me a couple of hours to finally get a good amount of work done and once I checked the time, I saw it was 7:00. Sasha and Dib would be heading over to the dance right now. I sighed and tried to get that out of my mind and once again focus on the ships. There were only a few kinks I needed to work out. Even if they were major kinks, I was sure I could get it done in a few more days.

In the middle of one of my adjustments, around 10 o'clock, the computer alerted me that the Tallest were calling. Once their faces appeared on the screen, I immediately knew there was something wrong.

"Zim, our most deadliest prisoner has escaped and is heading for your area!" Purple said frantically through the transmission.

"What? Who?"

"Roque."

I could feel my jaw drop and my eyes widen in fear. Roque was a Lieveradan, an entirely female race of aliens who enjoyed killing other male species. They were shape shifters and were known for disguising themselves as a female who was the same race as their victims. After mating, they killed their mate, and dragged the body back to their home planet where they feasted upon the victims flesh. Many Irkens had fallen to their clever ways. Roque was the leader of her people and without her to guide them; they either died or became slaves. But if Roque was free, then the entire universe was in danger. And worst of all, she was heading for MY planet. Who knew what damage she could do to the human race. Earth was for the Irkens to destroy, not Roque. And after she finished with Earth, she would simply move on to other planets. She had to be stopped. And I had more than reason why I wanted to do it.

"Where is she now? How long until she gets here?" I asked urgently and angrily. I had a personal score I needed to settle with her.

"She's already there," Red answered, fear strong in his voice.

"Computer! Find the location of Roque immediately!"

"Yes, Master."

I waited anxiously as the computer pinpointed Roque's location. What he found horrified me.

"The Fine Arts Center downtown, sir."

I could feel the shock and fear cross my face. That was where the school dance was being held. I didn't think about my own safety as I raced out of the base. I didn't think about the Irken armada and what would happen to them if I died as I put on my disguise. Only one word rang through my head as I ran out the door with GIR at my heels.

_Sasha._

I hopped on GIR like he was a surf board and we rocketed through the town at incredibly fast speeds. I could only think about Sasha as we sped through traffic and weaved in and out of buildings. We didn't stop once I saw the Fine Arts Center. We simply ran right through the wall. The first thing I saw was all the students backed up against one side of the exceptionally large room. And in the middle of the room was her.

Roque.

She turned to glare at me but once she saw I was Irken, she smirked evilly. Roque had dark purple skin with dark red spines protruding from her wrists and ankles. She wore black armor with dark pink markings that was created specifically for her. The armor was small and it looked useless, but I knew better. A blue suit could be seen underneath. She had glowing yellow eyes with no pupils and a long muzzle similar to a dog's. There was no nose, only two holes at the end of her muzzle and black ears that looked like a cat's were visible on the top of her head, protruding from her short black hair. Long red claws came out of her hands. She smiled impishly at me, revealing row after row of razor sharp teeth. Shackles were still attached to her ankles. But when I looked behind her and saw Sasha's terrified face staring at me, fury raged through me and my own fear was gone. I didn't get a good look at Sasha but I could feel a very light blush on my cheeks. She was wearing a simple silk navy blue dress without sleeves that only came to her knees and was a little too low cut. Her long auburn hair was up in an elegant tie with little strands falling out. Dib was holding her, which aggravated me even more, but I couldn't think about that now. Roque had turned to face me completely and she was starting to slowly strut towards me.

"GIR stay out of this," I ordered him. He nodded and backed away.

"Ah Zimmy dear. I've missed you. It's been a while. And my have you grown," she said in a malevolent and cruel voice that sounded a lot like a snake's. But there was a strange seductive tone to her voice.

"I seem to recall you tried to kill me last time," I said folding my arms and glaring at her.

"Yes well. We've got to reproduce somehow," she said giggling maliciously. "You're the only one who has managed to get away from me."

"And it's because of me you got into prison. Don't forget that part."

She hissed and growled as I reminded her of what I did to her. But it wouldn't be enough to get back at what she did to me until she was lifeless at my feet.

"How could I forget?" she sneered. I smirked impishly as I continued to glare at her.

"I'm going to finish this, Roque. You're going to pay for what you did to me and my squadron," I hissed as my fists clenched.

"Revenge is so sweet, isn't it Zim?" she cackled.

I got in a ready stance, preparing for her first strike.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Roque murmured.

She was always the first to strike. The long spines on her wrists came forward like knifes that were now pointing toward me. She slashed them back and forth, trying to hit me. But I hadn't only grown taller; I had grown faster and stronger. I dodged every swipe, knowing fully well that the spines were filled with poison. It was actually quite ironic because slow romantic music was being played for some strange reason. But I couldn't concentrate on that at the moment.

I jumped backwards and then the long mechanical legs came out of my PAK and allowed me jump over her and then turn to face her again. She pivoted and then brought her spines forward again to attack but I was ready. I had a lazar knife out and as she brought the spine towards my chest, I turned to the side and cut her hand off. Her scream filled the entire room and caused the humans to cringe and cover their ears. I could feel my antennae tingling underneath my wig. She glared menacingly at me. She was furious as blood slowly poured out of the stub where her hand used to be. She reached into her belt and pulled out a lazar gun and aimed it at my head. The mechanical legs came out again and I managed to dodge all of her blasts, but only barely. I was on the ceiling when she finally hit me. Thankfully, she only hit one of my mechanical legs but it caused me to fall from the ceiling, which was rather high. However, I pulled out a grappling hook, which caught one of the beams and I simply swung around and kicked Roque off her feet before I finally landed on the ground. When she got back up, she looked ready to destroy me. She ran forward, and we began to fight again, hand to hand this time. She got me several times in the face and stomach (if I had one) but since I was now a little taller than her (I had been extremely shorter than her when we met) it gave me an upper hand. Unfortunately, I underestimated her. Somehow, she got me flat on my back and before I knew what was happening, she had me straddled.

"I plan on finishing what I started Zim," she whispered maliciously. I looked up at her, my eyes wide with fear and shock. Please don't do this. Not this again.

She began to change shape until she looked like a female Irken soldier. She smirked at me as her tongue came slithering out of her mouth. She pinned my arms to the ground and since she was a Lieveradan, she was about a million times stronger than me. Her tongue slithered its way into my mouth and began to attack mine. I struggled and twisted and squirmed but she had an incredible grip. Her tongue was like a blade and I could feel blood flow into my mouth. I could feel her tongue glide into my throat and I could feel it cut the inside of me. I coughed and yelled as she pulled her tongue back up and wrap around mine. She pulled my tongue out with hers and she pulled it into her mouth.

"NO!" I yelled. Not again. Please, oh no, not again. Please don't make me do this. I tried to pull my tongue back but that only made it bleed more. I coughed up blood and that's when I got an idea. I let a bunch of blood collect in my mouth before I finally spat it all out into her eyes. She screamed out and let go of me as she shape shifted back into her original form. As she cringed back and rubbed at her eyes, I got out from underneath her and managed to back away into the wall furthest away from her. I coughed up a lot of blood and my throat was starting to kill me. My tongue screamed out in agony. I didn't know if I could continue with this. But then I heard _her_ whisper my name and when I looked up, I made eye contact with Sasha. She looked so worried and scared. But she wasn't scared for herself anymore; she was scared for me. I smiled as strongly as I could and I found in her beautiful emerald eyes the strength to keep going. I stood and began to walk again towards Roque. She had managed to get most of the blood out of her eyes so when I approached, she glared ferociously at me.

"You're finished," she seethed. That was when her armor transformed. That was when I realized that I was standing in front of the humans even though I was on the other side of the room. When the armor was finished, Roque wore a blue jumpsuit that looked a little too tight and the armor was now a giant weapon.

"Say goodbye, Zim," she hissed grinning as she glared.

Suddenly, a lazar beam that was probably as big as the building, shot out of the gun and straight at me. I pulled out a small device and held it in front of me. A little energy field appeared and protected me but the force of the beam began pushing me backwards. I tried to keep from giving ground, but I only kept going. Pretty soon, I was directly in front of the humans. I managed to keep from giving more ground but I couldn't move forward either since the beam was continuous. I turned my head slightly to look at the people behind me. They all looked back at me. They all had encouraging looks on their faces and it even looked like they had been cheering for me. I must not have heard. They all smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up or the peace sign and some even saluted me. I smiled back even though I knew that this was hopeless. I couldn't hold up forever. And then I looked over at Sasha. She smiled at me and blew a kiss. She still looked worried, but she looked encouraging.

"You can do this," she mouthed. When I looked up at Dib who was standing right next to her, he half smiled and nodded once. I nodded once back acknowledging the support. Then I turned back to the beam in front of me. That was when I had an idea. The last three mechanical legs came out of my PAK and I used them as braces as I began to walk forward. Slowly, I managed to pushed the energy beam back at Roque. Now I could hear the humans cheering me on and yelling support at me. Sweat trickled down as I continued pushing the energy back. Roque must have felt the change though because the force was now too much for me to bear, even with the legs. I knew that they would only snap. I gave one look to Sasha who understand. Tears started to fall down her beautiful cheeks as she managed to get the humans out of the way of the beam. And once they were, I let go. The beam hit me with full blast and I felt myself being launched back. I smashed right through the wall and even through several other walls behind it. I continued going until I was in the middle of the building beside the Fine Arts Center. I could feel every bone in my body being broken. I could feel my organ being crushed. I could feel my body becoming entirely covered in bruises. I could feel the warm blood oozing out my body. I could feel my strength leave me. I wasn't going to make it. There was no way I could. But then I heard Roque's heartless laugh and the screams from several of the humans. And I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard Sasha whisper my name. That's when I miraculously opened my eyes and began to slowly sit up. I stood eventually but I immediately fell to my knees. Pain seared through every portion of my body, but I was not going to let Roque kill those humans. Especially Sasha. I was not going to let Roque win. I stood again, and this time, my PAK turned into a jet pack and I flew back to the Fine Arts Center. I didn't stop once back inside. I kept going until I hit Roque square in the chest and sent her flying backwards into the wall furthest from the humans. Once she hit the wall, she fell to the floor. I landed in front of the humans but I knew my legs wouldn't be able to support me. The mechanical legs came out supported my weight instead.

I heard my name being called out and there were lots of cheers and shouts for joy, but I didn't know how long I could last. I hoped these humans would understand if I did actually die. Which was more than likely.

Roque slowly lifted herself up and when she saw me, she glared so ferociously that I knew at that moment I was going to die. But I was going to take her with me.

She leaped forward, her spine forward again but I simply cut off her other hand. While she cradled her arm, I noticed she hadn't put her armor back on. So I jumped forward, using my mechanical legs instead of my own and stabbed her in the chest. She gasped from shock and pain. But then she brought her foot up and I felt the spine on her ankle bury itself in my stomach. We glared at each other but I simply stabbed her again in the neck and before anything else happened, she fell to the floor dead. The humans erupted in cheer but it didn't last long. Because the poison was spreading quickly and the first symptom was starting to take affect. The mechanical arms couldn't hold me anymore. My own legs couldn't hold me. I fell to the ground and I could feel my life force leaving. Not even my PAK could help me now. I vaguely heard Sasha scream my name and I barely saw GIR ran towards me but there was no way I could hold on anymore. I had to let go. Because there was nothing left to hold onto.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Awakening

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a small little gray robot with bright sky blue eyes with his tongue hanging out standing above me.

"I didn't know angels looked like this," I murmured even though it killed my throat to do so. Did death really hurt this much? Maybe I was in hell. Did aliens even go to heaven or hell?

"He's not an angel," a sweet, gentle, melancholy voice whispered right next to me. I turned my head to the right and saw the most beautiful human I had ever seen.

"Right. He's not the angel, you are," I said gazing up at her.

She laughed once and smiled down at me.

"What makes you think I'm an angel?" she said raising an eyebrow.

"Well isn't it obvious? I'm dead, and you're incredibly beautiful."

"You're not dead Zim," she said still smiling.

"Yea I am." I said upset as I furrowed my brow. I placed my hand on my chest, which was bare, and felt around for the hole where Roque had stabbed me. All I felt were bandages. I sat up and looked down at myself. My green skin was covered in purple bruises and I saw bandages covering most of myself. I examined my arms and chest. I couldn't see my legs cause I was still wearing my pants but I could feel more bandages underneath.

"I'm not dead?" I was so surprised and shocked. By what miracle was I still alive?

"No."

I looked back at Sasha who stared back at me. Suddenly, without warning, she threw herself into my arms sobbing.

"Oh Zim! I was so worried. I thought I'd lost you!"

I cringed from the sharp flash of pain but I dealt with it after a while and I simply wrapped my arms around her. She was still wearing her blue dress and when I looked around, I saw that I was lying on the kitchen table inside of my house. GIR was by the stove making waffles. When I looked at the clock, it said five o'clock in the morning.

"Sasha, your aunt and uncle…"

"They know where I am. Practically everyone in the city knows what happened. You're a hero Zim," Sasha's voice was muffled since her face was buried in my chest. I lifted a hand and tenderly stroked her hair. But then I heard someone clear their throat and when I looked up, I saw Dib leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. Sasha looked up at him as well but she didn't let go of me.

"Dib," I murmured in a gravelly voice since my throat was so cut up.

"Zim," he said. It looked like he was undecided on whether or not to thank me, or question me about Roque.

"Guess who made waffles!" GIR came forward with a plate piled high with waffles.

"I don't think Zim can eat anything at the moment," Sasha said. GIR looked like he was ready to scream but Sasha quickly said, "Zim's throat is in pretty bad shape. It probably hurts too much to talk let alone eat."

I nodded and smiled gently at Sasha who smiled back. She looked so relieved that I was safe and alive.

"Some dance huh?" she said jokingly. I rolled my eyes and smiled. GIR simply took the waffles and ate them himself. Dib looked down at his watch before he stood upright and said, "Well I should get going. My dad needs me to help with some experiment."

Sasha smiled at him and said, "Okay. See you Monday."

Dib was about to walk away before he turned back and looked at me.

"Zim?"

We all turned to look at Dib.

He stood there silent for a few seconds, still trying to decide what to do. But finally he half smiled and said, "Thanks."

I half smiled back. I nodded once, which he returned.

"I'll walk you to the door," Sasha said standing and following Dib out the room. I could hear Dib open the door and then turn to look at Sasha.

"I had a great time," she said, a smile clear in her voice. "At least until the crazy demon chick showed up."

Dib laughed at that and I couldn't help but silently chuckle. I heard Sasha stretch up and then give him a small kiss. I couldn't tell if it was on either the cheek or the lips. I could feel the jealousy surge through me but I felt it fade as more pain shot through me. I couldn't help but let out a low groan as I tried to stand.

"GIR hand me my shirt."

I put on my shirt and then I looked at my reflection in the stove to make sure everything still looked fine. With the exceptions of a few cuts and bruises on my face and a black eye, I looked fine. Thank goodness my disguise had stayed on throughout the entire battle.

When I turned around, Sasha was closing the door. When she turned to look at me, I was watching GIR eat. As I leaned against the stove, Sasha walked back into the kitchen and straight to me. I looked back at her and she looked up at me. She pressed herself up against me and hugged me gently. I guess she didn't want to show any of these kinds of feelings in front of Dib.

I hugged her back and enjoyed her warmth and softness. We stayed there for a long time, simply enjoying each other's company. She placed her hands on my shoulders and pulled back a little to look up at me. My hands were still around her waist. We stared at each other for a while. Sasha's eyes drooped and I found myself staring at her lips. My eyes also drooped as her lips subconsciously became my one focus. I found myself leaning closer to her, and she leaned closer to me. Before I even knew what was happening, our lips were pressed together. Shocks went through me as I realized what I had done. Kisses on the lips were highly desirable to the humans. And we were now kissing. For the longest time, I didn't understand what was so special about it. But now that I had felt it myself, I understood. It felt so wonderful feeling her lips against mine. The sensation was so strange that I couldn't describe it. But I knew that I simply wanted more. So we kissed very tenderly and gently.

…

…

WHAT WAS I DOING?

I pulled away, careful to make it slow and deliberate so she wouldn't suspect anything. She stared at me blushing as I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against hers. I could feel myself blushing as well as I tried to unscramble my mind. I knew I was trying to make her love me, but I knew that it wasn't love that had brought this on. It was attraction. But that's how love always started out. So I was making progress with her. But I couldn't afford to be attracted back. I had subconsciously been attracted to her this whole time but I had just ignored it. I had ignored a lot of feelings about her the past few months. But that kiss had brought them all to focus. I really was having a lot of mixed feelings about her and I could not contemplate why I felt them. I had no idea what had brought any of these feelings on. I didn't even know I could feel them. The Irken never felt this way towards each other, why should I feel this way towards a human?

When I opened my eyes, she was still looking at me. She smiled gently. I half smiled back.

"How are you feeling?" she asked concerned.

"Fine," I answered weakly. My throat was starting to burn.

"GIR could you get me a glass of water?"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

GIR jumped out the window after saluting her and then jumped back in with a bottle filled with water.

Wow. GIR actually fulfilled a command correctly?

I stared wide-eyed at the water bottle. If I burned up when it touched me, what would happen if I drank it?

Sasha took it and handed it to me. I didn't have a choice. She would notice something was wrong if I refused to drink. I took it and with shaky hands, drank some of the water. Strangely, it didn't hurt. It was cold and I could feel it go down my chest and it felt wonderful on my throat. I drank more and soon the entire bottle was empty. But I started shaking from the harsh cold that had suddenly appeared. Sasha took my hands and led me back to the couch. She grabbed the blanket on the back and put it around me. After it was around me, I grabbed her and held her. Her body temperature helped warm me up. And I couldn't help but smile as I held her. The feeling of her body pressed against mine was a strange yet desirable feeling to me.

"Aw, you two look so cute," GIR said as he took a picture of us. I glared at him but he only kept taking pictures. Sasha smiled and giggled.

"Your little robot is so adorable. And quite the medic," she said as she looked up at me.

I looked back down at her and smiled.

"It gets old quick," I answered. We laughed at that as I shook and shivered again. Sasha snuggled closer to me as GIR kept taking pictures.

"GIR, go get some taquitoes or something," I said.

"Okee-Dokee!"

He ran away with the camera screaming about cheese and tires. In that moment, I realized we were alone.

"Zim?" she said my name as she laid her head on my shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"How did you know that girl? Why was she trying to kill you?"

My face fell. I refused to meet her gaze for a while before I finally said, "It's a memory I prefer to stay away from."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"No it's fine. You have a right to know."

And she did. I was the one who had put her and her life in jeopardy. She deserved to know why.

"Roque isn't from Earth. Roque is the leader of entirely female race of aliens called the Lieveradan. I know about them because my grandfather used to research them," I lied smoothly. I knew she would understand that Roque was an alien. There was no excuse in all the world that could explain the way she looked and the way she shape shifted.

"The Lieveradans are treacherous murderers. They killed my grandfather, and eventually, more of my family. But because they are entirely female, they have to mate with other species. They can shape shift, like you saw back at the Fine Arts Center. They trick males into mating with them and once they're done, the Lieveradan kill their victims and then take the bodies back to their home planet to be feasted upon."

I looked down at Sasha to gauge her reaction. She seemed to be taking it very well. She looked disgusted about what the Lieveradan did but other than that she seemed curious so I continued.

"One night, only a couple of years ago, Roque came here to Earth. I was training to become a pilot with a few of my friends. We were out having fun, you know, relaxing. That's when we met her."

The story I was telling her was actually the truth. Only it was on Planet Irk and I was training to become an invader and it was WAY more than several years ago.

"She acted so innocent, like she was just honestly looking for a good time. The boys let her tag along, but I was always a little cautious of her. One by one, she took them down."

"You mean she…"

"Yes. She did what her people did best."

Sasha looked scared and sad about what had happened to my friends. I tried to ignore it and continue.

"Eventually, I was the only one left. I had been suspicious of her from the beginning. When she approached me while we were "waiting for the others to be done in the bathroom" I was still a little cautious. She tried to seduce me, but it didn't work. Finally, she used force instead. She grabbed me and took me to a secluded place. And she forced me to do it."

I shuddered as I remembered. Sasha stared at me with so much pity and sadness and concern and worry and shock and horror. She looked just about ready to cry.

"The entire time I had a knife up to my back and a knife behind my neck. Once she was done with me, she was about to use the barbs on her wrists to kill me. I was already very weak because she beat me to make me continue with her. But I refused to give her this satisfaction. I was still strong enough to keep her from killing me. I managed to get away from her, but I was so weak I passed out as I was trying to get away. The police found me wearing only my pants and beaten to a pulp and covered in blood. I barely escaped with my life. Once I got better, I made it my goal to get revenge. Because of me she was arrested. That wasn't enough for me but I had to deal with it. And she wasn't too happy about it."

The story was true only replace the humans with Irkens and instead of "having sex" we were "mating." Our way was similar to the human's. There were only a few differences.

When I looked back down at Sasha, she looked so sad and horrified about what had happened to me.

"Oh Zim, you poor thing," she reached up and stroked my cheek. A few tears did eventually spill down her cheeks.

"I hated her forever. I'm just happy she's gone now."

"I am too. Now she can't hurt you anymore."

She snuggled deeper into me and I think she eventually fell asleep. I couldn't blame her. She had a rough night. So I snuggled down into the couch and held her a little tighter and rested a little bit myself. We sat there for at least a couple of hours. Sasha was sound asleep. When GIR came back, he grabbed his camera and took a few more pictures. I simply ignored him and without realizing it, fell asleep.

It was around 8 o'clock in the morning when Sasha's cell phone woke us up. That was when we realized we must have moved in our sleep because we were both on the floor and she was on top of me. We both blushed as we sat up and Sasha pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello?" she spoke sleepily.

A female voice started speaking on the other end. GIR ran forward and gave me a plate of waffles and a couple more bottles of water. I took them but I didn't eat any of the waffles.

"Zim woke up about 3 hours ago… No… He's in pretty bad shape… He can barely talk and eat…Dib already left… We're letting Zim rest… Sorry I fell asleep… Ok… Bye, love you."

She hung up and put her cell phone back in her purse. She looked back at me and smiled.

"I need to get going. That was my aunt. She's starting to get suspicious."

I nodded, not understanding what she would get suspicious about. But I didn't ask. Sasha stood but before leaving, she bent down and gave me another kiss on the lips. This one surprised me. I could feel the blush on my cheeks and my eyes widen in surprise. When she pulled away, I was still staring forward stunned. She giggled once before she turned for the door. I watched her leave, secretly wanting her to kiss me again. Once at the door, she turned and said, "Bye Zim."

"Bye Sasha."

She smiled before opening the door and leaving. I stared after her, ignoring GIR as he rolled around on the floor. I stood painfully and was surprised to find I had grown taller still.

"Sheesh," I muttered. I lifted the couch and went down into the base. The Tallest would be worried. I had to tell them Roque was dead.

Once in the base, I went straight to the computer and ordered it to contact the Tallest. I knew I would look horrible to them. One because I still had on my disguise, which I now threw off. And two because I was covered in bruises and scars and bloody bandages. When they're faces appeared, I immediately saluted them and croaked, "My Tallest, Roque has been eliminated."

"ZIM! You're alive? How did you manage it?" they both shouted frantically.

"It was not without difficulty," I answered as I coughed up a bit more blood.

"Well we can see that!" Red said as he saw all the bruises and blood and black eye.

"So she's gone? Forever?' Purple asked as GIR handed me more water.

"Yes. I killed her myself. But she managed to poison me before I did. I don't know how much longer until it actually takes affect."

Purple and Red looked concerned and sad about this. Lieveradan poison was the strangest and deadliest kind out there. It didn't kill instantly. Instead it tortured you and made you do things you didn't want to do to people you love and then it killed you as you remembered all the terrible things you did. First it makes you pass out, which is almost instantaneous. Then it continued with the rest of the symptoms. And I didn't know what they all were.

"You better hurry with those designs then," Red said urgently. "We don't have much time."

"Yes, My Tallest. Zim out."

I cut the transmission and felt my forehead. I was starting to burn up.

"Computer, run a scan. What are the symptoms of Lieveradan poison?"

"Scanning… Analysis complete. Lieveradan poison, also known as Trile, is a deadly chemical that attacks the body slowly, one section at a time. Trile attacks the brain first, making the victim vulnerable to its torturous chemicals. The first symptoms are passing out, light-headedness, and rising body temperatures. Once body temperature rises to a fatal point, the poison has entered the brain and will eventually begin controlling the rest of the body. The second section is the chest and torso area. Vital organs begin overworking themselves and become invaded with dangerous infections. Soon the organs begin shutting down and they turn themselves over to the poison's will. The third section is the legs and arms. The bones become very weak and the muscles begin to tear. The muscles are then replaced with artificial tissue that the poison makes and the victim is no longer in control of itself. Many say the poison is alive and has a will of its own. It forces you to do the things you fear most. All who have been infected have died. There is no cure."

I stared up at the screen stunned. I was going to die. And I didn't like the way I had to go. I had heard thousands of horror stories about Trile and they were all true. The poison did seem to have a mind of its own. It took over the victim's entire body just like the Lieveradan's did and it made you act like the person who injected the poison into you. The perfect weapon for such a horrific species. I slumped into my seat as I felt my forehead again. My eyes widened in fear. I was already burning up.

"Computer, how long until the poison takes full effect?"

"Average time about one month."

I closed my eyes and tried not to think. But the same sentence kept repeating itself in my head. I was going to die.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Poisoned

I could not meet Sasha's gaze as I walked into the Biology room a few weeks later. I had stayed home to finish all the modifications and plan the actual invasion. I had so much to get done in only a month's time. I sent the blueprints to the Tallest and I already had most of the invasion planned. But I only had a couple of weeks left and I still needed information from Sasha. I had to get as much as possible before I lost control.

All day people had been calling me a hero and had been giving me the respect I had deserved. People had been helping me all day, helping me stand or walk. I was already exceptionally weaker than normal. I didn't even hear Dib hiss another threat at me.

I could feel her emerald eyes on my face, her sweet smile on her lips. But I kept my head down, trying to keep everyone from noticing the large purple gash on the right side of my head, which I had tried to cover with green make-up. The poison spread faster in Irkens than it did in any other species. I did not know how I was going to accomplish everything I needed by the time the poison took control entirely. I did not want to think about the things it would make me do before it killed me.

I stumbled as I made my way across the front of the room. I could feel my body temperature rise even more as I caught myself and forced my legs to stand. My arms were shaking as I pulled myself up. And everyone noticed. Before I knew what was happening, about 15 different people were around me helping me stand. I smiled weakly at them and nodded my thanks as they helped me to my seat. Sasha was waiting there and she helped me sit.

"What are you doing here? You're still incredibly weak," she whispered as Mrs. Singh began.

"I have to tell you something," I answered my voice hoarse and gravelly.

"Zim, is there something you want to share with the rest of the class?" Mrs. Singh said as she turned and raised her eyebrows.

I simply shook my head as she turned back around and continued talking.

"Tell me later," Sasha whispered under her breath.

I was shaking violently during the entire class, shaking from cold and from the pain that was searing through my veins as the poison continued to spread. Whenever, someone tried to help, or do anything, I pushed them away and told them I was fine. Mrs. Singh tried countless times to get me to go to the nurse but I refused. Sasha looked worried sick. It got to a point where no one was paying attention to Mrs. Singh. They were all worried about me. I had saved their lives after all. It was the least they could do. In the middle of class, Mrs. Singh gave up trying to teach. She too was worried about me.

"Zim, honey, go to the nurse, please you're getting worse," she pleaded.

"N-n-no, I'm f-f-fine. There's n-nothing she can-n d-do anyw-way," I answered through chattering teeth.

"Zim," Sasha placed a hand on my arm and gasped. Her hand shot off my arm and she looked up at me with a terrified look in her eyes.

"Zim you're hotter than the sun!" she said concerned.

I knew I was. But I didn't feel at all hot. I was freezing my antennae off.

"I'll be fine," I insisted. I could feel the poison seep into every part of me. I didn't know how long until I started losing control of myself. But I could feel the Trile eat away at my muscles and I couldn't stand the excruciating pain that ran through me. I let out a yelp of pain and I could feel tears sting my eyes. I bit my lip and squeezed my eyes shut to prevent tears from falling and to keep myself quiet.

"Zim, please," Sasha had tears forming in her eyes too. She hated seeing me in this much pain. I didn't know whether or not to feel flattered or revolted. I didn't know what to think of Sasha anymore. Everything was so confusing about her that I just gave up on trying to figure her out. She was a human. That was my excuse.

"There's nothing you can do," I said as I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered.

"At least let us try, there must be something…"

"There isn't anything. There's no cure," I whispered so only she could hear.

Sasha was silent. I could feel her eyes on me but I refused to open my eyes as I brought my knees up against my chest. So cold, so hot. So much pain, too much pain. But to my horror, I opened my eyes. But I hadn't wanted to open them. I turned to look at Sasha, but I hadn't told my brain to turn my head. I stood, but I hadn't commanded my legs to stand. I could feel everything going black. I was no longer in control. I heard someone scream as my mechanical legs came out and lifted me up. I smiled impishly as my "eyes" went entirely white. No pupil, no iris, just plain white. I knew that my real eyes were purple now as the poison seeped through me. I probably looked like a living nightmare.

"There's nothing you can do to save yourself," I hissed in a voice that wasn't my own. I could feel my snake like tongue slither past my know razor sharp teeth. The humans were running and screaming, the things they should've been doing when they first met me. But Sasha didn't run. She looked up at me horrified, but she didn't run.

"Zim, I know that's not really you," she said as the others scrambled from their desks.

"Poor human, she believes that little Zim is still in his body. Silly human, poor sad little human," the voice seeped through my throat effortlessly. Sasha was right though. Because the poison took over the victim's body. And by doing so, it turned them into someone else. The person who had injected the poison. My body was going to be acting like Roque while the real me hid in the hollow corners of my mind and watched helplessly. So it wasn't my voice that was speaking, it was Roque's.

"Zim has such a lovely body. It's a pity that we must destroy it," the Trile continued.

"What do you want with Zim?" Sasha asked bravely. I was surprised by her bravery. Who would think such a weak human would be the one staying behind. There were several others still there, but they were by the door, watching what was going to happen next.

"We want nothing with Zim."

"Who are you?" Sasha screamed at them. Trile hissed and cackled.

"So foolish, so silly, such a strange human. We are the Trile. And we kill our victims from the inside out."

Sasha stared fearfully up at me as Trile laughed maniacally. I wished I could cry, but I couldn't control any part of me. I couldn't tell Sasha I was sorry, I couldn't do anything.

"Poor human, has to watch her little Zimmy die. Don't worry, you don't have to watch for long. Because you're what he cares about most, so you're the first one on our list."

That stunned me. I hadn't realized that I cared about Sasha more than anything. It was that subconscious mind thing again. I kept telling myself that she was trouble, that I hated her. But my subconscious mind kept everything stowed away. And the Trile had accessed it.

My hand shot out and grabbed Sasha around the neck. I pinned her against the wall and began to tighten my grip on her throat.

"NO! I screamed at myself. Not her. Anyone but her. Tears fell down Sasha's cheeks as she gasped for air. For some reason, my tear glands activated too and tears streamed down my cheeks.

"What?" Trile screamed as my tears fell down. "What is happening?"

"Zim, I know you're still in there. You can fight this, I know you can."

I could feel my face crumple into one of sadness and guilt and pain.

"How are you regaining control Zim?" Trile screamed.

I tried to access my vocal cords but I couldn't seem to get that far. I knew Sasha only had seconds left. I couldn't do this. I couldn't regain control.

Suddenly, a red light flashed and my body was thrown across the room and slammed into the wall. When I looked up, I saw Dib standing there with a ray gun pointed at me. Sasha had dropped to the ground clutching her throat and gasping for air.

"INSOLENT HUMAN!" Trile screamed. "You dare challenge Trile! We shall destroy you!"

"You won't be destroying anyone, Zim, not while I'm around!"

"Pesky human. Your precious little Zim is dying inside his own body. Soon his lovely body will belong to us. Little Zim will be no more, and we'll copy his corpse to be used for Lieveradan use."

I was shocked by this revelation. No one knew what happened to the poisoned victims after they died. But now I knew. The poison didn't just go away, it formed into an exact replica of the victim's body using the DNA it stole. The poison really was alive…

"Nice try, Zim, but I'm not falling…"

"It's not him," Sasha whimpered from her place on the floor.

"What? You're seriously going to take his side? I mean look at him!"

"Exactly! Look at him! There's no way that can be him speaking."

"Listen to the female human. She speaks truth. She speaks sense. Too bad the humans are going to be destroyed," Trile continued.

"See! Destroying humans! He's been planning on doing this ever since he came to this planet!"

"Dib just stop! I already told you I didn't believe in that crap. And you promised me that you were over this!"

"Please Sasha you have to believe me. Do you think some human disease would do that to a normal human being?"

"Do you think that purple insane demon chick is considered a normal creature? She must have something to do with this!"

"And how do you think she would know about Zim, huh?"

"I don't know maybe because she's been to Earth before?"

"Come on! She didn't even shape-shift into a human! She shape-shifted into an alien because that's what Zim is!"

"Dib, the only person who could see past all that smoke was you. No one else saw what she changed into. It's your word against dozens of others and everyone tells me that you and Zim have a history of not getting along."

"But Sasha…"

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" she screamed in his face.

"ENOUGH! You humans are wasting enough of our time. Prepare for destruction!" Trile screamed.

My mechanical legs lifted me up and I towered menacingly over them. I slowly began moving forward. I kept my eyes locked on Sasha. More tears were streaming down her face as she said, "Zim, I know you can stop this! I know you can control this." More tears streamed down my own face and Trile was once again shocked.

"No! Zim shall not win! Zim's body belongs to us!"

I tried again to access my vocal cords. This time I was successful.

"Sasha…" my voice was still hoarse and scratchy but it was my voice that came out of my body's lips. Sasha tried to smile but she looked so scared it was hard to call it a smile. My eyes slowly began turning back to red and the contacts were getting their pupils back. I blinked about a million times, trying to see properly. But Trile was trying to regain control of me so it was extremely difficult. Trile screamed out and I could hear it swearing in my head. My body thrashed back and forth as I tried to force my will back into my own body. I was having a fight with myself.

"Get out, Trile!" I screamed at myself. Trile only screamed back. Before I knew what was happening, I was on the ground screaming. And in the same second, Sasha was at my side, on hand on my chest, the other behind my head. I wanted to tell her to get away because I didn't know if I had the strength to regain total control, but I was in too much pain to even whisper anything. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, the pupils were gone once again. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed Trile back again. When I opened them again, my pupils were back.

"Zim, look at me, " Sasha said as she held my dying body. "Look straight at me."

I did as she said and I didn't look away. I could feel Trile cringe away from the feelings I felt as I stared into Sasha's beautiful emerald eyes.

"Hold on, Zim," she whispered as I slowly began to lose consciousness.

"Hold on."

That was the last thing I remembered.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

At Death's Door

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a bright white light flashing right into my eyes. I closed my eyes again, hurt by the blinding light around me. When I opened them again, it was the same. White light everywhere.

_Am I dead?_

It wasn't the first time I had thought I was dead. But I didn't feel pain this time. And all I could see was light.

_I'm dead, aren't I?_

I moved my eyes around, but I still couldn't see anything. I tried to lift myself up, but I couldn't feel any part of me. I was entirely numb, paralyzed. The only things I could move were my eyes.

_What happened? How did I die?_

I heard mumbling, incoherent words that were coming from a distance. I heard all kinds of very soft sounds, kind of like a jumble of whispers and buzzes. I couldn't make any sense out of anything.

_Where am I? Irken heaven? Is there even such thing? _

Suddenly, the white light was taken away. I closed my eyes and then opened them again, trying to adjust to the change. But I realized that I couldn't see anything, nothing at all.

_Am I BLIND? What idiot came up with the idea of becoming blind when you die! _

I blinked several times, trying to make out any kinds of shapes, but there was nothing. When I tried to listen to the voices, all I could make out were unrecognizable words and mumbling.

_I'M DEAF TOO? _

I felt extremely frustrated.

Maybe I'm in hell…

Why would I be blind and deaf in hell? This was so confusing. But I couldn't do anything because I couldn't feel any part of my body. I couldn't even remember what happened to me.

I tried again to listen, and by some miracle I could hear a voice. But it was a voice I didn't want to hear for the rest of my life.

"Hello, Zimmy."

It was Roque's voice. That was when I remembered. I couldn't control my own body anymore. Trile did. And I wasn't dead, I was dying.

_Let me see, Trile. Let me see what is happening._

"You don't want to see it Zim."

_Yes I do. Give me my sight back, give me my hearing back. And while you're at it, GIVE ME MY BODY BACK!_

"Silly, lovely, Zim. If you really want to see and hear everything, than so be it."

Suddenly, the white light came back. I squinted my eyes but after a while, they adjusted. I could hear voices around me whispering and I could actually understand the words.

"So Dad, what is it?"

"I don't know son. This poison is a substance unlike anything I've ever seen. It's not natural."

I recognized the voices as Dib and his dad, Professor Membrane. The first thing I thought was, _Oh, crap. _ What had they done to me? But then more voices came and I immediately felt better.

"We all know it's unnatural. So if we're done stating the obvious, can we please continue trying to help Zim?"

Sasha. Her beautiful voice made me immediately try to find her. I searched around, but only mindless shapes came. Why was it getting so hard to see? I blinked a couple more times and the shapes slowly began to come into focus. I had to find Sasha.

"His skin is half purple for crying out loud. Not like we can do much," Dib's voice.

"You'd be half purple too if you had poison running through your bloodstream!" she hissed.

"Sasha, calm down. We've already got his heart rate back to normal and his temperature is going down. I'm surprised he lived through that. He was hotter than an oven."

Mr. Singh. So we had two teenagers, a professor, and a doctor. Had they been running tests on me?

I tried desperately to show them some kind of sign that I was alive and awake, but my body was extremely weak. I couldn't move. But then I found Sasha. She was sitting right next to me. She wasn't looking at me. Instead she was glaring over at Dib, who was standing next to his dad and glaring back. Slowly, I began to feel what was around me. I could feel one of Sasha's hands in one of my own. I could feel the soft pillow beneath my head, the bed underneath me, the sheets on top of me. I could feel my body covered in bandages and dried blood. But I only felt minimum pain. What had happened to me?

I moaned as I closed my eyes again and a sharp pain flashed through my chest. Everyone immediately turned to me. I opened my eyes again to see Sasha staring down at me, relief covering her face.

"Zim! Oh thank God you're alright," she said as a few tears spilled down her cheeks. I smiled sadly at her. I wouldn't be alright for long.

"Incredible! That was the fastest recovery I have ever seen! He should still be unconscious! If I could just run some tests…"

"I said no tests!" Sasha screamed at Professor Membrane.

Everyone was silent as Sasha glared at all of them. She turned back to me and stroked my hand. The silence went on for a while, interrupted only when I moaned from more brief flashes of pain.

"Looks like the morphine is beginning to wear off," Dib said as Sasha stroked my forehead.

"He's starting to burn up again. How do you feel?" she asked worried.

"Horrible. The pain is starting to come back."

"With his body temperature up so high, he'll be burning the morphine off really quickly. It's best if we just leave him here and move him as little as possible. Sasha are you sure…"

"I'm not leaving him," she interrupted her uncle. He shrugged. That was when I noticed the IV in my arm and the other tubes and wires connected to me. There was a beeping screen that showed my "heartbeat" and all kinds of other stuff around me.

"Where am I?" I asked a little stupidly.

"The hospital. My uncle and Dib's dad were debating on whether or not to bring you here or to Membrane's lab but I said he couldn't perform any tests on you," Sasha replied in a very loving and soothing voice. She smiled down at me as she continued to stroke my head. I smiled weakly back at her.

"Alright we'll leave you two alone. I need to speak to Professor Membrane anyway. I'll be back to take a few more blood samples," Mr. Singh said as he, Professor Membrane, and Dib walked out of the hospital room. Once they were out, Sasha turned back to me.

"Oh Zim. I was worried sick. I'd thought I lost you for good."

"I'm not gonna be alright for long, Sasha," I answered in a husky voice.

"But Zim I…"

"I'm dying Sasha."

She looked stunned by my revelation. I could hear her heart skip a beat as she caught her breath.

"No," she said breathless, tears began forming in her eyes. "You can't."

"But I am," I said as I reluctantly looked back up at her. "Sasha this poisons isn't like anything you have ever seen. It's going to do horrible things to me. It's going to make me do horrible things to you because I…"

"You what?"

Should I say it? Did I really mean it? Or was I just saying it to get what I really wanted. But…

What did I really want?

_To take over Earth._

That thought came to my head automatically. But only because that's what I had been telling myself over and over again as the years passed on this miserable rock. Was that really what I wanted? Or was I just trying to please the Tallest? The problem was, I couldn't answer either question. I decided to play it safe.

"I really care about you," I whispered. "You mean a lot to me. But this poison isn't like any other poison you've ever encountered. It's going to take over my entire body. I'll begin dying from the inside out. And while I'm dying, the poison will make me do terrible things to people I love and care about. And you're number one on its list."

Sasha sat there and stared at me. Tears were threatening to spill as she stared dumbstruck at me. Finally, she shook her head in denial.

"We'll find a way…"

"No, Sasha. I need to get back to my house. I don't know when it will start up again and I don't want you around when it does. I don't want to lose you."

And I meant that. It surprised me when that came out of my mouth. For the past few months I had been telling myself that I hated her and I had been planning her demise! But now that her life actually was in danger, I realized that I actually didn't want to lose her. I didn't want her dead. For the longest time, I didn't understand why the humans were so traumatized over the death of a loved one. Now that I had almost lost Sasha, now that I would be trying to kill her against my will, now that I was dying myself, I understood. When someone they cared about died, it left a hole in them, a hole that no one else would be able to fill. You would no longer see them laugh, no longer see them smile, no longer hear their voice in your ears. And the thought of Sasha dead in my arms, whiter than a ghost, looking up at nothing, and _cold_, was enough to make a shiver run down my spine. I had always known Sasha as soft and warm and comforting. If that warmth left…

I reached up and pulled her towards me. I rested her head against my chest and held her, needing her warmth now. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if Sasha was stone cold. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if she was _gone._ It was ironic really. Only a few days ago I had been planning the invasion that would be destroying her. Now, I couldn't think of life without her. This human world is making me soft.

I held her close to me, feeling her curvy body against mine. I couldn't help but blush as I thought about her body, all the perfect lines and curves. She had already told me about the functions of the female body, but that didn't stop my curiosity. Although the human's way of mating was similar to ours, I was still curious about that too. I had already learned about all of these things, but I still was left wondering what it was like. What was it like to be completely human? I wanted to learn more. And for some odd reason, I wanted to learn more with Sasha. My blush grew a little brighter as I thought about that. As I thought about her body. For some incomprehensible reason it made me smile shyly. What was _wrong_ with me? Thinking the way a teenage human male does. GAH! Filthy, stupid, humans and their pathetic planet. But that didn't stop me from holding her.

She reached up and placed her hands on my shoulders as she laid her ear over my "heart." She smiled and sighed as I felt a few tears touch my bare skin. I stroked her hair as she listened to my "heart" beat. She curled up next to me. I wanted to place my hand on her waist but the IV kept me from doing so, so I simply continued to stroke her hair.

Everything was becoming so confusing for me. I wanted to understand everything that I was feeling. I couldn't seem to contemplate these humans way of life, even after being here for so many years. Sasha was making me rethink everything I knew. I didn't have much time before it would be too late for me. But I didn't know how to get this information without giving myself away. This was all so frustrating!

"Zim?" Sasha whispered my name.

I looked down at her, surprised to see her looking back up at me. She caught me off guard. She was so close… I could feel her warmth on my face. She was only inches away, and the gap was closing. I couldn't think. I couldn't control myself. For just these few moments I didn't want to have to think, I didn't want to be confused over these trivial things. For just a few moments, I wanted to surrender over to my subconscious mind and forget about everything.

Sasha was good at giving me what I wanted.

I don't know who closed the gap but before I knew what was happening, our lips were pressed against each other. I could hear her sharp intake of breath as I placed a hand behind her neck, securing her face to mine. I thought I had understood these humans fairly well.

Sasha was proving me wrong.

Oh these wild emotions that raged through me! They were like thousands of electrical currents running through my veins, leaving me wanting more and more. These irrational wants, these strange needs! Oh I could not get enough! I thought I knew hunger well. But this was a new kind, a kind that went far beyond physical limitations.

The kiss turned more and more passionate after a while, and soon we were kissing over and over again, trying to get as close together as possible. If I wasn't hooked up to all of these wires, I would be pushing her up against the wall. Instead, she was lying on top of me, kissing me back with every amount of passion I forced at her. I could feel my "heart" hammering in my chest and the monitor was beeping like mad. But I didn't care. My tongue slithered out of my mouth and gently traced her bottom lip. Her lips parted slightly and my tongue went right into her mouth. It was strange that I knew how to do all of this even though I had never done it before in my life. Our tongues danced as we continued kissing. And while they did, a deep low moan escaped my throat. I didn't know why, but I was thoroughly enjoying the human's ways of expressing love.

After a while, she pulled away, gasping for air. I too was light headed and needed to stop, although I admit I didn't want to. We lay there, gulping for air as I closed my eyes and smiled. I had to admit, Sasha was an amazing kisser. I replayed that entire thing in my head, loving every second of it. And as I thought more and more about Sasha, I could hear a faint shrieking in the back of my head. Once I noticed it, it filled my head with its agonized cry. I recognized it at once. It was Trile.

"These emotions! These feelings! What are these things that you feel for this pathetic girl? It hurts us!"

It continued to shriek things similar to that for a while. I didn't understand what was causing it so much pain, but for some reason, I felt a little stronger. When I opened my eyes and looked back down at Sasha, she was looking back at me. I stared into those bottomless emerald eyes for what felt like forever. And as I did, Trile screamed even more.

"Stop! Please, stop! You are hurting us! This girl… this love… it hurts us!"

Love? I didn't love anyone. But then I looked down at Sasha, who had placed her head over my "heart" again and I realized what all these feelings were.

How the heck did I not REALIZE this before?

I was in love with this pathetic human. It explained everything, the uncontrollable need to be with her, the happiness that coursed through me when she was near. It explained _everything _that I had been confused about because of her. I could feel everything I had ever worked for crumble before me just because of some irrational attraction to this human. I knew she was going to be dangerous, I knew I should've gotten rid of her when I had the chance. But now it was too late, because I couldn't live in a world where she didn't exist. All my confusion came back and I gritted my teeth in frustration.

Why? Why her? Why out of all the creatures in this miserable universe did I have to be in love with the girl that I was destined to destroy? I had gotten too far to let these stupid feelings get in the way. UGH this was so FRUSTRATING! These humans were getting on my nerves.

But then Trile squealed in glee.

"Yes, your pain and confusion… yes… it feeds us…"

And I grew weak again. Pain shot through my stomach and I groaned and clutched it. Sasha immediately let me go and stepped back. I squeezed my eyes shut and curled up. I began to shiver again from cold and pain.

"Zim…" the tears finally began to flow down Sasha's face.

I opened my eyes and looked at her, tears started to form in my own eyes.

"Zim, please you can't leave me…"

I could feel that strange "love" for her course through me as she stared heart-broken at me. I hated seeing her like this, I hated seeing her in this much pain. Trile screamed again as I lifted a hand and placed it on her cheek.

"Sasha…" I could hear my voice caress her name.

She placed a hand on mine and kept it on her face. I could feel the tears burn my hand, but I refused to move it. That was when I saw that most of my skin actually was purple. Splotches of green could be seen here and there, but they were slowly turning purple as well. But I couldn't focus on that right now. I had a sobbing human female to comfort.

"Sasha, I'm in love with you," I said it so effortlessly it surprised me. Sasha gasped and looked up at me shocked. And that was it for me. I knew I was done for. There was no turning back now. Before I could regret making the decision to say that, I continued.

"Before I die I just want you to know that I've never felt this way in my entire life. I didn't even know I could. I'm so used to being alone and doing everything by myself, I… I didn't think that a guy like me could ever fall for a girl like you. I didn't even think a girl like you existed. You're the most important thing to me know, the most important thing to me ever. And because of that, I'm going to try to kill you."

Sasha stared at me, not believing what she was hearing. We sat there in silence for a long time, just staring at each other, waiting.

"Well say something," I said after I grew a little impatient.

"You really love me?" she whispered.

"Yes," I answered "With all my heart."

I was pushing it there since I didn't really have a heart. It was just a part of my squeedily splooch that preformed the same function as the human heart. But still it counted… right?

She smiled as she tried to keep more tears back.

"I love you too," she as more tears fell.

These simple words, words that had meant nothing to me only a few weeks ago, these three words had changed me so much. Only a few days ago I had thought I hated her. But today I realized I couldn't live without her. I couldn't tell if I liked the human's ways or not. But one thing I could tell was that I was madly in love with her. I didn't know how I could tell, I just did.

Sasha smiled as she closed her eyes and let the tears fall silently. I put a finger under her chin and pulled her face up. Trile screamed and cringed as I pulled her lips back to mine.

What was happening to it?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cure

I don't know how long we kissed. All I knew was that I never wanted it to end. But Sasha did eventually put a stop to it because she said I needed "rest." I pouted at her but she just giggled. But then Mr. Singh came in a little while after that and I was glad we weren't kissing when he did. He took more of my blood and when he sampled it, everyone was shocked by what was discovered. There was less poison in my bloodstream. I could feel Trile try to get control again, but it was weakened somehow. Mr. Singh and Professor Membrane were both baffled by the sudden drop. They pleaded with Sasha to run some tests on me but she refused to let them. Personally, I was glad she didn't let them because the last thing I needed was to have them discover something that would give my identity away.

Later, Mrs. Singh came in to see how I was doing. She gave me a gentle hug, careful not to hurt anything before turning to Mr. Singh to see how everything was going. Sasha held my hand throughout the entire time. Every so often, she would give me a small peck on the cheek, or stroke my head. I would simply stare lovingly into her eyes and she would stare back. All she had to do was little things that showed she loved me. I felt warm, and safe, and loved. The first time in my life I had ever felt those three things at once. I was happy. All my life I had thought I was happy but I wasn't. I hadn't known real happiness until now.

"Zim… you must stop! We can't… we… it burns… IT BURNS!"

Trile shrieked as I felt my love for Sasha grow stronger and stronger. That's when I made the connection.

The Lieveradans knew nothing of love. They mated only to survive, they didn't mate out of love. The humans did. The Irkens mated to survive. The humans mated to raise families with love at its center. We did it because we had to. The humans did it because they wanted to. It all made sense.

I was introducing an emotion that was foreign to not only myself, but Trile and the Lieveradans. They were a species based solely on hate and lust and greed and power. They knew nothing of love. So it was only natural that the one emotion that was the opposite of all the things the Lieveradan believed in would kill a substance created by them.

But was my love for Sasha enough?

I knew that I loved her. But would my love be enough to kill Trile? Did I need Sasha's love as well? How could I be sure that she loved me that she felt the same way I did? Of course I felt loved as she tenderly caressed my cheek, but it could be an act. I was pretending to be something I wasn't. She could very easily be pretending to love me back.

How did the humans do this?

How did they know that someone truly loved them? How could they make that commitment without knowing for certain that they were telling the truth? It drove me insane! I didn't need anymore confusing thoughts about the human race, they were complicated enough. I didn't how I was going to know for sure. But for now, I could settle on just my love and let that destroy Trile to the extent that it could. Right now, I had to get away from this hospital and most importantly, Sasha. I didn't know if Trile would still try to make me do any more horrific things and I didn't want Sasha around when or if they did.

I argued with Professor Membrane, Dib, Mr. and Mrs. Singh about letting me go. Sasha remained silent throughout the whole argument. She had a look of concentration on her face like she was thinking really hard about the situation in front of us. Finally, when the tension and heat started affecting my medical condition, Mr. Singh said that we wouldn't discuss it again until morning. That's when Sasha looked deep into my eyes, searching for something. I didn't know if she would find it with the contacts blocking my real eyes but I simply stared back. I guess she could see what she needed in my eyes because she turned to her uncle and said, "Let him go."

They all stared baffled at her, not comprehending what she was saying. I could feel a smile of relief cross my face as I closed my eyes and thought of all the reasons why I loved this human. There was a long list, and I just added 'she's on my side,' to it. At least she would be until I destroyed this planet…

Dib was the first to speak.

"Of course you're going to side with the alien. After all, you said you like boys who are "different" than everyone else," he seethed as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

I would bet my life that the answering glare from Sasha was terrifying since Dib got a look of fear on his face as he slowly started to shrink behind his dad. Add that to the list of reasons why I love Sasha.

"I'm siding with Zim because he has knowledge on this poison and we don't. What we have here is too limited, it can't help him," she snapped back at Dib who stuck his tongue out at her. She simply made an even funnier and more insulting face back at him, which resulted in a glare from Dib. I don't know what happened while I was knocked out, but I was thoroughly enjoying it.

"Besides, Dib, you're just jealous that Zim's getting all the attention and that I like him more that you."

Fiery! This was a side of Sasha I had never seen before. She was always so sweet and loving. .I don't know why, but knowing she had a temper that could get as hot as mine made me more attracted to her.

Dib was about ready to throw a punch at her and he looked ready to strangled me. I don't know how he managed to restrain himself. I would've been tackling her to the ground if it was me. Except for the fact that I love her…

Sasha talked with Mr. Singh and Professor Membrane and explained that I had a robot that patched me up after Roque's attack who may be able to help better than the equipment I had here. She was careful, it seemed, not to give away too much. After a while, they agreed and said that she would stay with me for most of the time.

I was both fine and not fine with that.

I was able to walk with Sasha's help and Mrs. Singh gave me an extra pair of human clothes. I hated putting them on, but they fit very snuggly and when I looked at myself in the mirror I actually looked… what was the word? … sexy. It puzzled me. It was just a simple white T-shirt and a dark pair of jeans but I looked very "tempting." And I could've sworn I saw a light blush play on Sasha's cheeks. I could feel a light blush on my cheeks.

Mrs. Singh tells Sasha to call once they got to my house and then to call every three hours to tell them what was going on. Give me plenty of fluids, try to see if we could find some way to get the poison out of my system. She told Sasha other things, but I stopped listening and pretty soon, we were in Mr. Singh's car driving towards my house.

"Sasha you have to promise me something," I whisper to her in the backseat. She turns and looks up at me after she tells her uncle to turn the radio up so he won't hear us.

Sasha was smarter than I gave her credit for.

"What is it?" she asks in the same hushed tone. We have to strain our ears to hear each other, but I don't want Mr. Singh asking questions once we're done.

"If I tell you to get out of the house, you have to promise me that you'll obey me and get as far away as possible. Trile tortures its victims by making them hurt the people they love most before killing the actual victim. You're what I love most," I'm not afraid to admit that. "I could never live with myself, even in heaven, knowing that you were dead because of me."

She promised me she would but she looked hurt and confused as we arrived at my house.

"Strange color choice," Mr. Singh says as we get out of the car.

"Parents," I reply with a shrug and roll my eyes jokingly. Mr. Singh smiles and laughs once before saying, "I'll be back at the hospital in case you need me."

We wave to him as he drives away from the house before we go back into the house.

GIR is waiting for us.

"MASTER!"

He jumps into my arms and hugs me. I hug my little robot back as he says, "Master you home! You is alright! I knew you'd be alright, even moose and pig thought you'd be alright."

His little tongue is hanging out of his mouth as he refuses to let go. A pang of guilt hits me as I realize I wouldn't be alright for long unless I could figure out if this love would really destroy the poison.

"I love you Master! I made tacos to celebrate!"

He jumps down and runs to the kitchen screaming, "TACOS!"

Sasha is sitting on the couch giggling. I go to sit down next to her as GIR runs back in with tacos all over him.

"Computer, take a blood sample and scan it," I order as I lift up my arm. A syringe appears and takes blood from my arm before the arm holding it retreats back into the wall. Sasha is a little surprised since she has never seen this before. I ignore it for now as I stand up use my mechanical legs to go up to the ceiling. Some of the tubes and wires were getting disconnected so I decided to fix them to pass the time. Sasha just sat and watched as I climbed around the ceiling like a spider and expertly repaired many of the broken wires.

"No need to waste money on a technician," she mutters under her breath. I chuckle as a few more sparks fly and another wire is fixed. The next time I look down at her, she's standing right below me, watching with interest. So I decide to surprise her.

The legs lower me so that I'm hanging upside down right in front of her, face-to-face. My eyes droop as I smile. Her eyes do the same as she stares at me. I lean forward and kiss her lips tenderly. It's harder because my lips are upside down and hers aren't. But we manage. She places her hands on the sides of my face as we kiss over and over again. I love it, and Trile hates it, which makes me love it even more. I place my hands on the sides of her face as well. But then Sasha pulls away with a gasp and she lets me go to reach into her pocket.

"Crap. My aunt told me to call her once we got here."

She has her cell phone to her ear before I can even react. But its good that she remember because all the blood was going to my head and I was getting woozy. I went back to the ceiling to continue my repairs. I catch little glimpses of the conversation here and there but I don't really pay attention. When she says 'bye' to her aunt, I start paying attention to her again. For a while she's just staring at the phone. I watch her closely, wondering what she's thinking. Finally, as if coming to a decision, she puts the phone back in her pocket with a sigh. Confusion crosses my face as I drop back onto the floor and walk over to her.

"What's wrong?" I ask when I reach her. She doesn't look at me for a while but then she turns and buries herself into me. Trile continues its constant shrieking as these feelings course through me. It was hard to believe that it was actually being weakened. Hard to believe that the cure was discovered by accident.

I held Sasha for a long time, marveling over the feeling of her body pressed against mine. When she finally looked up at me, I could see that she was confused and unhappy about something. I give her a puzzled look and before I know what's happening, she's burst into tears and she's clutching my shirt and sobbing into my chest. It took me completely off guard.

"Sasha! What's happened?" I ask desperately. I honestly have no idea what to do except hold her.

"Nothing's happened Zim," she answers as she pulls away and wipes the tears away.

"Then why…"

"Because you're dying and I'm in love you!" she nearly screams in my face.

I think that was what triggered it.

Before I can control myself, before I even think it in my head, my lips are against hers and I pressing her up against the wall. All I'm aware of is her and I as we slip gently into the night.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Leaving

My eyes fluttered open to find sunlight streaming in through the windows. GIR was in the kitchen, as usual, gulping down some cereal. I looked down to see Sasha lying next to me, still asleep. I yawn and then try to contemplate what had happened the night before.

Sasha refused to go "all the way." But she didn't object when my hands started to "travel." We never really stayed in one place, now that I think of it. We were either on the floor or on the couch or up against the wall. When we finally settled down and the moments passed, we both laid down on the couch, side-by-side and talked. That's when I discovered more about her.

"Was it hard… when your parents died?" I had asked as she lay her head over my "heart."

"Very. My mom loved me very much, and I loved her. When she died I became very distraught, and not just because of my legs. That's why I learned how to play piano and paint and sculpt, to get my mind off of her. To get away from the world and get closer to where she was. It helped, but only a little. So I decided to study more than just the arts. I studied history and science and all kinds of things. But nothing could make me forget."

That was why she was so intelligent and talented… because she used it as a way to get over her mother's death. I had looked at her very closely after that. That's when I really noticed what she looked like. I had never really taken a close look at her until now.

She was much paler than other humans, maybe even a little too pale. She was scrawny, and I couldn't be sure, but I thought I could see her ribs through her shirt. Her cheeks were a little shallow and there were purple circles under her eyes. Her bottom lip was a little fuller than her top, and I could have sworn I saw a large scar stretch down the left side of her jaw.

She had flaws.

She wasn't as perfect as I had thought. She wasn't perfect at all. There were other just tiny little features that showed more and more imperfection. And I had never noticed.

This made her more real to me, like I wasn't just dreaming this. Like she really was a human and not some perfect being from beyond the stars. She was still beautiful, but she looked more human now. She wasn't as different as I had thought. I wasn't sure whether or not to be attracted or repulsed. But one thing I would always know for sure was that I would always love her.

We had fallen asleep after a while, which leads me back to where I am now.

I now understood why I knew about these feelings and why I knew what they were. Because last night I remembered a piece of Irken history that I had learned a long time ago.

The Irkens used to reproduce this way, back when we first became a species. We reproduced similar to the way the humans did. But after we became a large population, one of out Tallests decided to end the sexual way of multiplying. Instead, they took the male and female DNA and placed the combined cells in the test tubes in the incubation center. This way there wouldn't be any unexpected births or over population because the female Irks could no longer get pregnant. We became a very independent species and soon we relied on no one but ourselves.

I knew about love because we used to have it on Irk. But it slowly died out as we became a species focused solely on war and taking over the universe. It was part of our nature to love, but we have never had any reasons to love anyone before. Sasha was bringing back all these lost feelings in me. It was totally **against** my character but she was resurrecting it. However, my concentration was broken when the computer's voice came up.

"Master, the analysis is complete."

"And?"

"I think it would be best to compare to your blood now."

I agreed and let it take more blood from my arm. That's when I noticed, the purple was almost gone. Trile wasn't shrieking anymore. In fact, I couldn't feel any part of Trile in me. When the computer's voice came back, I couldn't believe my ears.

"The poison is no where in your blood stream. It's gone."

I felt like crying. I felt like smiling. I felt like grabbing Sasha and kissing her so passionately the room would catch fire. I just went with the first two. I laid there, letting the tears silently fall, letting the smile spread across my face.

The great and marvelous Zim was going to live.

And it was because this human loved me.

She opened her eyes then, and she looked up at me. She gasped.

"Zim…"

"The poison's gone. You saved me Sasha…" I said before she could finish.

She smiled gently as tears fell down her cheeks as well. She placed a hand on my face before she kissed me gently.

"I don't understand. How did I save you?" she asked confused yet brimming with joy.

"I don't understand it that much either. But you love me. That's what killed Trile. The Lieveradans know nothing of love, that's why it killed their poison. They run on hate and selfishness, you run on love and compassion. I'm going to live because of you Sasha, and I'll be eternally grateful."

She called her aunt after that to tell her the great news. I swear I could hear crying on the other end as she told her uncle as well. Professor Membrane was ecstatic and he wouldn't stop coming up with theories about it. When they asked how it was possible, Sasha simply replied, "It was a miracle."

Such an appropriate answer for such an occasion. While Sasha talked to her aunt and uncle, I slipped away downstairs to inform the Tallest. They too were ecstatic about my recovery. I sent as much information to them as I could before I cut the transmission and went back upstairs. Sasha was waiting for me in the kitchen as GIR made breakfast for the both of us. We sat side-by-side, eating waffles while GIR ran around screaming. But as we finished, the unexpected, the terrible, the worst thing that has happened since I met her, happened.

"Zim I know what you are."

I spat out the water I was drinking (my throat was still healing) and I choked on what I had in my mouth. Sasha smacked my back under my PAK as it sent a shock through me, reviving my systems. I swallowed the waffle piece and then turned to look at her.

"Thanks and… what?"

"I know you're not from Earth," she said staring right back at me.

"What makes you say that?" I said pretending to laugh.

"I'm not stupid Zim. Your skin is green, I saw you burn in the water, your tongue is like 50 ft long for crying out loud, and you fought and defeated that purple alien chick. No human I know has the guts/knowledge to do that, even if their grandpa did study them."

That last remark sounded like an accusation. She knew I had been lying to her the entire time. But why was she still here? Why did she stay with me?

I had no idea what to say in my defense. I had no idea how I even could move my mouth. She knew, and she knew that I knew she was right. There goes my mission.

"If you know what I am, than why are you still here with me?"

It seemed like she had been waiting for this question. She smiled warmly and gently before blushing and answering, "Because I still love you."

That stunned me.

She knew. She _knew_ what I was. And yet… she still… loved me.

"I have a question," she asked as I stared dumbstruck at her. I waited for her to ask it.

"Can I see? What you really look like?"

I was surprised that she would actually want to see that, that she was curious about me. It wasn't like I could lose anything by showing her. She already knew I wasn't human.

I could feel her bony fingers gently glide across my face. I let her touch me, I let her fell her way around my face. When she got to my hair, she realized it was a wig and took it off. My antennae showed freely, and it felt good to finally let them out from underneath that scratchy wig. She stared up at them with genuine curiosity and… fascination? She didn't look scared at all, she looked intrigued.

Very gently, her fingers slowly stroked my antennae. Of course that involuntarily triggered a reaction and I began to purr. Yes… purr. I smiled and closed my eyes and let her stroke my antennae. I felt like a cat as I bent my head down so she could pet them more easily. She giggled at my reaction. When she stopped, I immediately wanted her to continue, but that was just a natural Irken reaction. I opened my eyes and looked back at her. Then I raised my own hands and took out my contacts. She gasped silently as she stared into my ruby eyes. She looked stunned. Then a small sweet smile spread across her lips.

"Zim… they're beautiful."

I knew she was referring to the color of my eyes but it still stunned me that she would think any part of me was beautiful. We stared at each other for a long time but then the computer came up and said, "Master, there is a transmission from the Tallest."

"What?" I panicked as I ran into the living room and saw the Tallests faces appear.

"My Tallest, this is unexpected."

"Sorry for calling you so suddenly and right after you called us but there is an emergency here Zim," Purple said.

"What's going on?"

"It's the Lieveradans. They've been starting to grow in numbers again and they're fighting all of our enemies. I know this is out of character for us, but we have to help. No one deserves the Lieveradans fate. You out of all people should understand that," Red explained.

"I do understand. I'll come right away."

"We're sending our coordinates to your Voot Cruiser. Meet with us first and then we'll discuss our plans of action. We'll have to come back to Earth another time. If the Lieveradans win, than there won't be anything left to conquer."

I saluted as the transmission cut and I immediately began to pack everything. I gave GIR as many orders as I could as I went up to the Voot Cruiser and packed everything in. I changed into my Irken uniform as I did. I totally forgot about Sasha until I saw her as I was getting the Voot Cruiser ready.

And then it hit me.

I was going to have to leave Sasha. And who knew how long I was going to have to be gone. By the time I got back, the chances of her finding someone else were very high. I couldn't stand the thought of her dead. But the thought of leaving her to her own designs and going our separate ways was equally as unbearable. She stood there, watching me sadly, trying to look brave and understanding. I jumped out of my ship and walked straight to her lifting my arms to hold her as I did.

"Sasha I…"

"I heard everything. I understand. No one deserves the fate you almost had," she answered as she walked into my arms.

I stared sadly down at her as she placed a hand on my cheek. I lifted my hand and placed it on top of hers, keeping it pressed to my face.

"I'm sorry I lied to you about what I was."

"I understand why. This is a new world for you. I doubt anyone wants to be dissected."

I laughed once without humor. She pulled herself closer to me as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I'll wait for you," she whispered adoringly.

I held her tightly, not wanting to let her go.

"I love you, Sasha. I promise, I'll come back for you."

It was a stupid thing to promise, I know. But I had to at least give her some speck of hope that I wouldn't forget about her. And I knew that she wouldn't wait for long. There was no telling how long I could be gone. And one Irken year was equal to about nine human years. I held her and kissed her and hugged her and caressed her. I knew I would have tot let go at one point. And I dreaded the second I would.

When I finally did let her go, she stepped back and wiped a few tears from her cheeks. She too knew that my chances of coming back were very slim.

"I'll wait for you," she muttered again as I climbed back into the Voot Cruiser, GIR climbing in with me.

"I love you," I said as it began to close.

"I love you too," she answered before she could no longer see me through the glass. The roof opened up and the cruiser began to fly upwards. And as we soared towards the stars, I couldn't help but take one last look behind me.

Earth sat just miles below me and as we broke the atmosphere and proceeded into space, I couldn't help but gasp in awe at the silent beauty Earth concealed. It wasn't THAT bad of a planet, I guess. It did have its perks and flaws. But so did Irk. And I couldn't help but feel a strange longing to go back to the strange rock. I spent the rest of the flight trying to ignore it.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

War

The Tallest's ship finally came into view about 3 months after I had left Earth. GIR jumped excitedly to the window and watched with growing anticipation as we neared the Massive. I flew with expert skills into the hanger bay and waited as the visor raised itself and the Voot Cruiser slowly descended until claws came up from the floor and grabbed it and a ladder appeared. I climbed out with GIR at my side, trying to look as dignified as possible. It was then that I grew conscious of how much I had grown.

Soldiers and servants that I had once been shorter than me waited to guide me to the Tallests chambers. They now all stared up at me with wide eyes and curious gazes.

I was almost as tall as the Tallest.

Only a few more inches and we would be the same height. It felt awkward having these short little Irkens lead me to the Tallest. There were the occasional Royal Guard that appeared every once in a while but I was even taller than them by about an inch. It all seemed rather strange.

When I entered the bridge, everyone immediately snapped into a salute. The Tallest turned to welcome me but once they saw me, their voices froze in their throats.

Everyone stared.

I couldn't blame them. I used to be the shortest Irken ever. My sudden growth spurt on Earth stunned everyone.

"Zim…" Purple was at a loss for words.

I smiled sheepishly before walking up to them and dropping onto one knee and bowing my head, my left hand clenched in a fist on my right shoulder.

"My Tallest," I said with respectful admiration.

Red was the first one to recover.

"Rise, our dear and faithful Zim."

I did as I was told. It was strange, we were almost face-to-face.

"You've grown…" Purple said as he came to stand by Red.

"Uh… yes," I answered awkwardly.

We stared at each other a while, trying to get used to the height difference. After a while, Red finally cleared his throat and gave me all the details. Apparently the Lieveradans had been secretly breeding, preparing for this day. They were attacking every species they could find. Including Irk AND Earth. I silently prayed (for the first time) that Sasha would be safe. Hopefully Dib would have to common sense to keep her safe.

"If they win, then WE won't get to control the universe! Everything Irk has ever prepared for would be for nothing. I know this sounds crazy and COMPLETELY out of character, but we have to become allies with the other planets and fight against the Lieveradans."

They told me everything I needed to know before dismissing me for the night. Another servant drone came out and led GIR and I to our quarters. She was a small thing, maybe even shorter than I used to be. Once inside my room, she simply stood to the side and watched me as I placed my stuff inside. I only had one thing. That picture of Sasha I had taken in the car. Her emerald eyes and red lips smiled up at me and I couldn't help but smile back at it. If only…

When I turned to look around the room, I noticed the servant drone still standing there.

"Uh… you're dismissed, you can go back to work."

She didn't move. Her lime green eyes stared up at me, fear and curiosity displayed clearly in their glossy texture.

"I said you can go!" I tried again.

"The Tallest have commanded me to be your servant while you are here on the Massive," she said in a timid and melancholy voice.

"Oh… What's your name?"

"Rya," she answered.

"Well then it's nice to meet you Rya. I'm Zim," I said a little awkwardly. I guess it could be nice to have my own little servant. But I would definitely treat her much better than the Tallest have been.

Rya smiled at me, her antennae raising a little. It must have been a long time since someone had been kind to her. I understood that well.

I looked closely at Rya. She was a paler green than most Irkens and she was definitely a lot smaller than most. She wore a plain black uniform like most servant drones and her PAK was gray with lime green spots, the same color as her eyes. Small little eyelashes framed her eyes like most female Irkens. Her antennae were like zigzags with hooks on the end. She looked like an average Irken. But I noticed something else once I walked towards her.

She was just a child.

She looked no older than 5, most likely even less. She stared up at me, wondering what I was going to do next. But the truth was, I didn't even know that.

A transmission from the Tallest came into my room through the intercom.

"Zim, we've found them."

And our war began.

Five Human Years Later

Her yellow pupil-less eyes stared up into nothing as I shoved my blade into her. She was dead before I finished pushing it through her heart. The Lieveradans retreated as I threw this body to the side and watched as they ran back to their ships. The remaining Irkens and Vortians cheered as the Lieveradans scrambled away. I simply spit at the body beneath me. Red and Purple ordered the service drones to pick up the dead bodies and bring all the wounded to the infirmary, both Irken AND Vortian. The alliances we had created were doing all of us well. The Lieveradans were shrinking away like the cowards they were.

I followed the Tallest back onto the Massive, and I smiled as Rya and GIR came forward to greet me. Rya had become like a little sister to me, even though she didn't know what a sister was. I tried to show her as much love and compassion as I could, even though it was COMPLETELY out of character for me. But I have been doing a lot of things that have been out of character. Strange to believe that all of it had started only five years ago thanks to a certain human…

I treated Rya the way Sasha would treat her. And even though she had no idea what love and families were, I would treat her as such. She would grow up differently than all the other Irkens, but it wouldn't hurt her.

Sasha became part of my every action ever since I left her. Whenever faced with a choice, a decision, I would ask myself _what would Sasha do?_ Sasha had shown me love and kindness when no one else would. I would do the same to others. Even the Tallest had seen the change in me. They asked me if I was feeling well, if my PAK was malfunctioning. When they checked it, it was perfectly fine. But I knew what had happened to me.

Sasha had changed me.

At first I hated her for it those first few years. But then I remembered that brief love we shared, that love I still felt for her now. Even if Sasha wasn't still waiting for me (I had given up hope that she would) she would always treat me with that love and devotion the way she did five years ago. I owed it to her to do the same. She had, without a doubt, saved my life from a vicious and terrible fate.

GIR hadn't changed in the slightest, and I envied him a little because of it. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like, if I had still been that narcissistic, maniacal, little Irken who loved destruction and others pain. I had no doubt that Rya would have died and the same would have happened to thousands of other Irkens. I too would have died, because the poison would not have been eliminated if I hadn't loved Sasha and she hadn't loved me back. So even though I had changed and GIR hadn't, I couldn't find in any part of me the will to feel regret or jealous or even sorry or myself.

I had changed, but maybe it was for the better.

I followed Rya and GIR back to my quarters, smiling as the two of them joked and played around. The two of them had become like best friends ever since that first day back here. I was happy they did, because it meant neither of them would be lonely whenever I had to leave.

I had about two minutes to change out of my armor and into my uniform before I had to go down to see the Tallest. Once changed, I said bye to Rya and left. The Tallest were waiting for me, along with the Vortian leader and his top fighter. The two of us would act like guards and witnesses if there was ever a need.

The Vortian leader and the Tallest discussed what would be happening next. It was long before our Spec-Ops found where the Lieveradans were headed next. Their revelation scared me.

Earth.

I could feel the shock and pain cross my face. All I could see and think about was Sasha Rouvillois. Everyone else noticed.

"Zim?" Red said my name, wondering what was wrong.

I looked at him, hoping he would understand. The expression on my face said enough.

"Set course for Planet Earth. Not even the humans deserve this fate," Red ordered the soldiers who scrambled to set our course.

"My Tallest, permission to fly ahead," I asked urgently. They considered this for a few minutes before agreeing.

"Hold them off. If we're not there in time, make sure at least the humans have some sort of defense.

I saluted and ran away to pack my things.

"Come on GIR, we're heading back to Earth," I said as I burst into my room.

Rya and GIR were sitting on the floor confused. But GIR jumped up and obeyed, running screaming back to the Voot Cruiser. I looked at Rya who stared right back up at me, her big lime eyes filled with curiosity.

"I'll come back for you Rya," I said kneeling down until we were eye level. She smiled and nodded, little tears beginning to form.

"If they hurt you, if anyone treats you any differently than I did, than they will have ME to answer to, understand?"

She nodded again as two little tears spilled down her cheeks. She threw herself into my arms and hugged me. I was surprised she even knew what a hug was, but I guess GIR must have shown her. I hugged her back lightly. She let me go and then stepped back as I stood.

"Bye Zim," she said in that impossibly sweet voice of hers.

"Bye Rya," I said as I walked out the door.

It hurt knowing that I would once again have to once again leave someone I cared about. But it was easier this time, because I knew that I would be able to come back and I knew I was all Rya had. She would wait for me like a human child waits for their father to come home.

I left immediately, starting up my Voot Cruiser and heading out in the direction of Earth without a second thought. I researched the area around me and found what I was looking for.

A wormhole that would lead me straight to Earth.

I went straight into it and within a few hours, I was staring at the quiet beauty of Earth.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Return

I landed the Voot Cruiser on a hill just outside of the city, staring in utter astonishment. I had only been gone five years… this couldn't be real.

Because there was nothing left.

GIR stood by my side, staring at the charred and broken skeletons that used to be the many skyscrapers. I could feel the tears sting my eyes as I thought of the one human who had given my life meaning. Was she still alive? And if she was… then where was she?

I went back to the cruiser and put on my disguise, though I doubted it would do me any good. I even went ahead and put on the skinny jeans and tight white shirt Mrs. Singh had given me.

GIR and I walked down the hill, not believing what we were seeing. Even GIR could understand what the wreckage in front of us meant. Not even he was that stupid and oblivious. We were silent as we entered the city boundaries. But it wasn't solid ground we stepped in, it was ash.

A thick layer of the gray substance laid on the ground like a blanket. And it sickened me as we walked further into the city because I was sure that the outline of bodies could be seen underneath. There were even bodies above the ash, crumpled and broken as if crushed by some unseen force.

I immediately knew who did this. I could guess how it happened in my head because these monsters were just too predictable, just too noticeable.

I was too late.

The Lieveradans had already come.

GIR looked up at me as we passed a mother and her child, frozen in that form they were thrown in. But what got my attention was the little girl who lay beside her, as if they had been thrown at the same time.

I couldn't help but imagine Rya's face instead of that human girl's. So ashen and pale, petrified in the ash.

I kept walking.

"Master…"

It was the first time anyone had said a word since we got back. I looked down at GIR, eyes raised.

"What is wrong? Why do these people not move? Why don't they smile and walk like they used too?"

GIR. So innocent yet so annoying. He didn't understand death, he never did. But I couldn't bring myself to tell him that these people would not ever move again, not ever get up and walk and smile.

"Because they're just sleeping, GIR. They're asleep, but they can't wake up."

GIR continued to look around us, his eyes resting on things that used to be whole but were now torn apart. My eyes did the same, but what I saw, I hoped beyond hope that GIR wouldn't see them they way I did. I hoped he wouldn't see them at all.

It was a bad idea to bring GIR. Though he annoyed the crap out of me most of the time, he still didn't deserve to have to witness this much destruction. I had feelings for the robot, though I would never admit it. But this was just too much.

We were in the suburbs now, passing more and more bodies. Humans trying to run, trying to find some kind of shelter, some kind of escape.

But no one would have been safe.

There would have been no escape.

And to my utter astonishment, I saw it. Standing like a lone soldier, the only one to survive.

The bright green walls and purple roof illuminating from my base.

I don't know how the heck it was still standing, how it could be possible that it was unscathed. And then I noticed that all the bodies seemed to be gathered around my base. They were trying to run to it. Because it was the only building strong enough to withstand the attack. I couldn't help but hope, I couldn't help but wonder…. Did Sasha make it inside?

I walked slowly straight towards it, trying to avoid stepping on people's bodies. Even the yard around it was perfect, not a gnome out of place. GIR couldn't hold himself in. He ran inside screaming like he would on any other day. I was a little reluctant to let him go in so suddenly, but what could I do? I followed, amazed at how it looked just like it did before I left. I took a deep breath once at the door and stepped inside.

The first thing I saw was the inside of a net as it was launched right into me.

The door slammed shut and I was caught inside the net. I snarled. It aggravated and angered me to think that someone had set up a trap inside my own house. I tried to use my PAK to cut through the net, but it was strong and made of coils. I snarled as I tried to think of a way out. GIR hung about a few feet away from me, also caught in a much smaller net. He stared over at me, confused that we were caught in our own house. Then an idea hit me. Hoping beyond hope that whoever had set up these traps hadn't messed with my computer…

"Computer! Release me and explain what has happened," I ordered.

It took a while, because the computer was coming back online. But after a few minutes, the computer's voice sounded through the walls.

"Master? You've returned?"

"Yes. Now set me down!"

"I'm sorry Master, but the trap wasn't set up by me. It has to be released by hand."

I snarled, trying to come up with another plan. But my concentration was interrupted when door to the closet that used to hold the Robo-Parents burst open and three figures stood there, guns pointed at me. They all wore black jumpsuits with belts holding other kinds of weapons in them. I couldn't see their faces because of the position I was in. But since the jumpsuits were very tight and snug, I could tell that one of them was a male and two were females. The female in the middle lowered her gun immediately and she snapped up, her back perfectly straight. The male lowered his gun slightly, trying to decide what to do next while the other female kept her gun fixated on me.

I squirmed and moved and twisted so I could see their faces.

I entirely forgot about the other two humans the second my eyes came in contact with her beautiful emerald eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Reunion

"Cut the coils, now," her melodic voice ordered at the male. She sounded a little different, older and more mature. But beautiful all the same. I could feel the shiver run down my spine, my heart jump into overtime, my voice catch in my throat. She was alive. And she was standing in front of me.

The male hesitated, staring from the other female, who had finally lowered her gun, back to me. He didn't move and everything was still for a minute before he shook his head.

"I can't."

I would know that aggravating voice anywhere, aging or not. And how did I not see that scythe that sat on top of his head? It looked like a freaking lightening bolt for crying out loud. Looks like five years hadn't changed him.

"Cut the damn coils, Dib," the other female hissed in his direction.

Dib glared at her as he too lowered his gun. I knew that other voice well.

Gaz simply glared even more ferociously back. But when Dib still refused to move, Gaz simply walked over and tried to wrestle the controls from him. While they fought over the remote, swearing and screaming incoherent words at each other, I watched my love carefully, trying to interpret her every move. She stared right back, her lips parted slightly. She looked a little older an more mature, just like her voice. But there was an edge to everything about her. She didn't seem helpless, she didn't seem weak. The only word I could come up with that could describe her at that very moment was… sexy.

Finally, I don't know if on accident or on purpose, the net released itself from the roof and GIR and I dropped to the ground with a thud. But the net still hadn't released me.

"Damn it Dib! Would you just let him go?" Gaz screamed at her older brother. But Dib still refused. I snarled and began screaming at him in Irken, ignoring how wide their eyes got when I began speaking a different language.

Dib began screaming back at me and soon all four of us were screaming at each other. To this day I still can't believe that it was GIR who had gotten us to shut up.

His eyes turned red and he began barking orders at us to shut our traps and work together. We all had more important things to worry about and we were wasting our time. I think we were all too shocked to really comprehend what he said after he turned blue again.

It was Sasha who broke the silence.

"What are you trying to prove Dib? There's nothing left. There's no point in fighting him. He's not our enemy."

Dib stared at Sasha, disbelief on his face.

"Not our enemy? He's the one who…"

"I'm not the one who destroyed your city if that's what you think," I said quickly. Why would I destroy the very planet I was planning to conquer?

Dib stared at me stunned. Of course he would be. I was the deranged alien who had spent the past several years trying to destroy the humans. He would never believe that I had come back to rescue them.

"That's a good one, Zim. But what makes you think I'm going to believe you?"

"Do you honestly think that _I_ could have done this?" I countered.

"Yes."

I was flattered but I snorted anyway. Dib really _was_ that naive. That giant head didn't compensate for anything.

"Well think again. I don't have the equipment nor the desire to do _that_," gesturing out the window. "I'm not as cold blooded as you think. I _do _have some sort of heart beating inside of this shell of mine. The Lieveradans, however, do this for a living."

Understanding dawned on Sasha's face immediately, but Dib was still cautious of me.

"Is that why you…"

"I came back because I heard the Lieveradans were heading for Earth. Apparently I'm too late."

The bitter sting of defeat hit me at that moment. Though I didn't necessarily care too much for the humans, the fact that the great and mighty _Zim_ had lost to those pathetic and miserable Lieveradans hurt my pride. Though I wouldn't admit it.

"Zim… the Lieveradans came years ago. They left just as abruptly as they came," Sasha said in that melancholy voice of hers.

My head snapped up. If that was true…

There was still time.

"Let me out! They're coming back and you're all in great danger. We have to leave! We have to go!"

"Go where?" Gaz asked in that cryptic voice of hers. Nothing had changed about her. That was reassuring, in a weird way.

Of course the question stumped me. There was no way I could bring these humans back to Irk… especially Dib. I was silent for what seemed like a long time. It was Sasha who broke the silence… again.

"Where we go doesn't matter for now. Dib, for the last time, the Zim go."

She said it with so much authority, so much force that Dib finally reconciled and pressed the button that opened the nets. GIR jumped out and began running around the house the way he always did. As for me… well let's just say my arms were busy the second I was standing.

Sasha had launched herself into sobbing. I let my arms instinctively wrap around her as I kissed down the side of her face over and over again, tears spilling down my own cheeks. It seemed impossible, but it was true.

I had returned.

My lips found hers automatically and those strange feelings returned, and it felt so good to feel them again. The feeling of her lips against mine, her body pressed against me, her arms wrapped around my neck. It was impossible. It was amazing. It was _real._

She had waited for me.

Her tears burned me but I completely ignored it. I ignored the groans from Dib and Gaz as they looked away and tried to block out the sounds coming from our throats. All I could think of was this unique, beautiful, _alive_, human in my arms. It could not have been real, but everything around us, everything I felt, everything I saw and heard and tasted was real. And I couldn't believe that we had been apart for five years.

Sasha was the first one to pull away, gasping for breath. I simply leaned my forehead against hers, staring dreamily into those _gorgeous_ emerald eyes, still so bright and pure even after five years. Her long auburn hair fell in a shower of ringlets down her back, still so smooth and silky. Her cream colored skin with the light rose undertone. She was so beautiful, and she still had so simple flaws that made her only more real to me. The question boiled to my lips and burst out before I could contain it.

"How did you all make it?"

Their faces immediately fell as I brought back the memories. I knew it would be hard, but I had to know.

"Well… it's sort of hard to explain," Sasha said her brow furrowing. She was silent, and I waited expectantly for her to go on.

But Dib was the one to continue.

"We were all finishing up our third years at college. It kind of just came out of nowhere. One second you were on campus…"

"The next you were dodging thousands of nuclear bombs being thrown at you," Gaz finished.

"Through all the ash and dust and smoke from the flames, figures began to emerge as if from the ground. They began killing ruthlessly, showing no mercy whatsoever. They took most of the men with them. But while all of the building began getting crushed by the unknown force, your house remained standing, and it beckoned to us in a way," Sasha continued. "Thousands of people ran to it. Many made it inside, but many did not."

Sasha's eyes brimmed with tears as she thought of all the people who had never made it inside. Of all the people who did not escape. I held her tightly as what she said finally stuck.

"There are more survivors?"

Sasha nodded. It surprised me at first, but then again, I was holding one of the most selfless and generous and loving humans I had ever known. She would have tried to get as many people in as possible.

"How many?"

"Come and see," Gaz gestured.

To my surprise, they headed upstairs to the attic where I used to keep my Voot Cruiser… which reminded me.

"I have to get my ship," I said as they started upstairs.

"Let us get everyone downstairs first then," Sasha said as I followed.

Once in the attic, I was surprised to find maybe hundreds of people. They were all huddled together, munching on a little food.

"How did you fit all these people in here?" I asked knowing that my attic was not that big.

"Dib knows how to maximize space," Sasha said as Gaz went around them to see how everyone was doing. When they saw me, everything froze. And I realized I recognized many of these people.

Our old classmates.

They stared at me with gratitude and curiosity. Gratitude for letting them all survive that horrible trauma. Curiosity about where I had been for the past five years.

"Most of the college students are who made it since Dib and I practically led them here, knowing that your house had a system set up for this kind of thing. People who lived nearby and people in the area seemed to be all who could reach it here in time. The others…"

Sasha choked on her words. I put a hand on her back and she immediately leaned into me, letting me wrap an arm around her waist.

"I really missed you," she whispered as I stroked her cheek with my other hand. Her skin was so soft. So smooth. It felt good holding her again.

"There wasn't one day when I didn't think about you," I whispered in her ear.

She smiled up at me. Both of our eyes drooped as we gazed at each other. As Dib and Gaz went around giving people their necessary items and telling them to all head downstairs, Sasha and I left, preparing to go get the Voot Cruiser. As we neared the front door, people had already begun coming downstairs. They had probably learned quick that if they listened to these three, then they would all survive.

Sasha and I went outside and I immediately regretted bringing Sasha with me. She took one look at what was around us and she was already fighting back the hysteria.

"You don't have to come…"

"No. I'm not letting you leave me again," she said almost fiercely.

I felt the guilt that had been building up inside me over the years come back as I hugged her gently before leading her back through the city, past all the broken buildings and bodies and back up to that hill. At least we wouldn't have to walk back through it.

The Voot Cruiser sat expectantly at the top of the hill. Once we got up to it, Sasha pulled me around to look at her. Before either of us could say anything, we were kissing again. It had been years since we were alone together. It felt good, more than good, it felt amazing! My hands glided along her back and her shoulders and neck and face, marveling over her perfection. Even if she really wasn't perfect, she was perfect to me. And before I could register her hands in my wig, she had taken it off and was once again stroking my antennae. I purred and moaned with pleasure as I lifted her up off the ground and she locked her legs around my waist. She had gotten a little taller but I was still about a head taller than her. This was much easier. Plus she could reach my antennae easier.

We stood there kissing for what felt like hours, but she pulled away because she had others to look after. This would have to wait.

For now.

I pulled my wig back on as I opened the cockpit. I jumped in and then helped Sasha in. She had to sit in my lap, but I didn't reject. I flew the Voot Cruiser expertly back to my base and we hovered over the house as the attic opened and I landed it gently on its landing pad. The computer immediately began checking up on the systems and doing small but necessary repairs.

It felt good to be back.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Arguments

That night had probably been the worst of my life.

After we had landed the Voot Cruiser, Sasha and I trekked downstairs to tell everyone that they would be boarding in a different location. A bigger one. Dib and I spent about a half an hour setting it up and getting it ready and thanks to my Irken technology, a large room was waiting for them in a matter of minutes. And there were actually beds for all of them this time.

Right before it was time for all of them to go to bed, Mr. and Mrs. Singh had jumped up out of nowhere (to my great delight and surprise) and had both given me big, tight hugs. I didn't know if Sasha had told them about my true identity but I thought it safe to play it cool until I could know for sure.

When everyone had gone to bed and Dib was on watch, Sasha and I slipped down into the actual base. We spent most of our time kissing, and talking about what I had been doing while I was gone. I told her about the war, and about almost being as tall as the Tallest. I told her about being their assistant, their 1st in command. I told her about every little detail, I told her about Rya and how she became like a sister to me. She listened intently and she smiled when I told her about little Rya, describing her perfectly. And it was during one of those kisses that I felt that feeling again, that pull, that _need _to be hers.

Entirely hers.

I tried again, the way I had done our last night together five years ago and she once again stopped me. This time I actually talked to her about it.

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's… complicated," was all she said.

"I'm listening," I said watching her intently.

She sighed and then smiled apologetically at me.

"I'm what us humans call conservative."

I raised an eyebrow.

"It means that I want to save "IT" until after I'm married. It means that I'm against the killing of unborn children. It means a lot of other things, but that's all you'd probably understand. I doubt you want me to get into politics."

I sort of understood. But I didn't at the same time.

"I don't understand the big deal about it," I confessed.

She frowned slightly but then she looked back up at my wig and she once again took it off.

"You don't have to hide around me," she said lovingly.

I smiled sheepishly as I lamely answered, "I just thought it might be easier on you if I did hide it."

"I'm in love with you," she as I took off my contacts. "I don't care. I want to be with you. The _real_ you."

She stroked one of my antennae, causing me to purr. But then I asked her more questions. I seriously wanted to understand.

"What's so special about marriage?"

She looked at me and gazed lovingly into my ruby eyes.

"Marriage between a man and a woman is probably the most sacred and wonderful thing us humans can do. When we get married it means that we are giving ourselves entirely up to that person. We are telling them that you are theirs, and that you will be for time and all eternity."

I thought of Mr. and Mrs. Singh. I thought of the loved they shared that could so easily be displayed at each other because of the little things they did. And for reason, I recognized it.

We used to have similar things on Irk, before it had been stopped. It was just a simple ceremony, but it meant that they belonged to each other, and they would spent the rest of their lives together.

Strange how many similarities we used to have with the humans.

"When we save "IT" for after our marriage, we are telling our spouse that we love them with all our hearts and that you saved this sacred ordinance specifically for them. It's a choice I made when I was much younger and I WILL stick to it."

I could understand it better now. I didn't now if that's how it used to be for us.

"What about you? What do your people do?" Sash asked as she caressed my cheek.

"We don't do it anymore, but we used to have a similar system," I answered as I put my hand on hers, pressing it to my face.

"Why don't you do it anymore?"

"Because we have no need to. No one falls in love on my planet anymore."

"Well then how do you…"

"Let me explain. When we first started out as a species, we had all those things to help us grow as a population. We mated, we fell in love, we did those sorts of things. But something happened and fewer and fewer girls were being born. Soon, there weren't enough girls to help sustain life. So one of our leaders decided to put an end to "love" and "mating" and we designed the Smeetery."

"The what?" Sasha asked confused.

"The Smeetery, It's kind of like a birthing center."

"But what are Smeets?"

"It's what we call our babies. Anyway, genes and DNA are collected every year from Irkens who are of age. The cells are combined and the Smeets grow in these capsules. We have robots running the place."

"But why did your leader get rid of love?"

"To save our species. To prevent unexpected births and over population. To change our very way of life. We went from a normal happy species to one solely focused on world domination and war. Soon the birth of a Smeet meant the birth of a new soldier. And that's all they ever thought us as. Soldiers."

Sasha stared at me with an unfathomable expression. She looked sorry for me and for my species, but she also looked… angry.

"Why would they treat you like that? Like you're just machines they could throw away for their own purposes. What happens when you die, do they just toss you aside without a second thought?"

Anger flashed through my own eyes. Even though she had a point, I wasn't going to let her insult my Tallest while I just stand by and watch.

"I'll have you know that your way isn't much better," I seethed through my teeth. She dropped her hand as if I had just burned her.

"Well excuse us for wanting to remember the people we loved even after they were gone," she hissed back

"Like burying them in a ditch is a great way to show love and appreciation," I sneered sarcastically.

"I'm sure it's better than throwing them into the sun!"

I don't know what happened or how it could have changed so fast, but suddenly we went from sitting talking blissfully about love and marriage, to standing on our feet screaming at each other, fighting over our methods and which way was better. I don't know how long it went, but it went on for a long time. And I could only feel this anger grow and grow. There was no end, it seemed.

"At least we don't go around taking over other people's planets!" she screamed in my face.

"Good thing too because you slimy humans are too weak to even _breathe_ in space," I yelled back.

"Slimy?"

"Yes! Slimy!"

"Coming from the alien with green skin and a planet filled with emptiness?"

"At least I have something to go back to!"

And that did it. She looked like she'd been slapped. The anger washed away from her face and it was replaced by shock and… pain. Because she had heard the double play in those words. She knew I meant that I had "friends" and "family" and an actual planet and the rest of my species to go home to. And I immediately regretted saying that. Because she had nothing. Her parents were dead, her home was destroyed, and her planet and species was dying.

"Well…" she seemed to be holding back tears, forcing herself to speak calmly. "If your planet is so much better than Earth than maybe you should just go back to it and let the Lieveradans kill the rest of us."

I could feel the hurt and pain spread across my face as she spun around and headed back upstairs without another word. I was extremely aware of the bitter taste of loneliness that had been left in the air.

I sat down, scowling at the floor. I didn't understand how that had happened. It just sort of did. I don't know _why_ I got so mad at her, it just kind of came out. And my pride… **sigh** my pride wasn't going to let me be the first to apologize. What did I have to apologize for? She _started_ it with the whole judging my species and my leaders… But then again… _I _was the one who had yelled cruel words at her.

I had made her cry.

And it hurt me to know that _I _was the one hurting her. We were supposed to be in love… what did this mean?

I buried my face in my hands, confused about everything. We were supposed to be happy, we were supposed to be glad that we were back together. But it almost felt like… I don't know… it felt like we were slipping. And I didn't know how far we'd fall.

I wasn't even sure if I wanted to.

I sat there for who knows how long. But I finally decided to go back upstairs and do something that would _really_ hurt my reputation back on Irk. Thank goodness the Tallest weren't here to see this.

I threw my disguise back on and then walked up into the main floor. It was then that I realized that it was morning and GIR was making everyone waffles. I didn't see Sasha among the few who were in the kitchen helping so I decided to go into the new room we had made and look for her there.

She was in the room with all the other humans, helping some of the neighbors calm their children. Once she was down, she stood up and once she saw me, she froze. I stared sadly and apologetically at her, and she seemed to get the message… but she didn't move. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide and her face twitched as it looked like she was fighting off bursts of pain. Even from across the room, I could hear the small little coughs coming from her throat as her breathing got shallower and shallower. I ran to the other side of the room, weaving in and out of people. I didn't have to be a doctor to know something was wrong.

I watched in horror as began to gasp and fight for air. Her breathing was very raspy and it seemed like she couldn't get enough air. Then she started coughing, loudly and in between those gulps of breath. I got there just in time as she began to fall to the ground. I held her gently in my arms, not believing what I was seeing, what I was hearing. She tried to smile up at me but she only coughed and I watched in utter astonishment as red liquid began to ooze out of her mouth. I knew what it was immediately as I tenderly touched it with my fingertip and examined it.

Sasha was coughing up blood.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Too Late

I laid my head on the couch, right next to her arm, waiting for her to show any signs of getting up any time soon.

She didn't.

She had passed out in my arms and at first I thought I had lost her for sure. Thankfully, Mr. Singh kept his cool as I took her back to the main room and he examined her with what little equipment he still had. She wasn't dead. But something on Mr. Singh's face told me that this wasn't over yet. When I asked what it was, he said it was a human disease called "Tuberculosis." And now I just knelt by her side leaning my head on the cushions, waiting for her to get up.

I felt so alone and guilty and agonized as I waited for anything. Her breathing had thankfully returned to normal, but that didn't happen until recently. I was so scared and I couldn't think about anything but the last things I had said to her. So heartless and cruel. I couldn't bare to think that I might lose her and _those_ would be the last words I would ever say to her.

I lifted my head and stared up at her face, so beautiful even when she was so close to death. I placed a hand on her cheek, wishing that she would open her eyes and look at me.

Sasha had always been good at giving me what I wanted.

Slowly, her emerald eyes opened at the first thing she saw was me. She smiled gently at me and I couldn't help but smile back as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Thank God," I whispered as I closed my eyes, letting the tears flow.

"Zim…" she said my name like a caress.

"Sasha, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything I said and I… I…"

"I love you Zim," she said before I could finish. "I'm sorry too."

I smiled lightly at her as I kissed her sweet soft lips. She kissed me back, gently yet with enough passion to prove her love.

My next few words escaped my lips before I could stop them. Later on I realized just how much I _needed_ Sasha in my life. I guess it took almost losing her to make me finally understand why the humans did all the things they did. It made me realize just how much I wanted to be apart of her and everything she did. So as we slowly pulled our lips apart, I softly whispered the words, "Marry me, Sasha."

She gasped softly and stared at me as if I was a dream. Her heart picked up speed, and even _I_ could hear it. A smile slowly spread across her lips as she tried to keep the tears from falling. But then, a loud rumbling outside caused us to rip our eyes away from each other.

And then I heard it.

The horrific wailing sound of a Lieveradan's laugh. But not just any Lieveradan's laugh.

Roque.

I could feel myself grow extremely stiff and cold. My eyes were wide with fear. Sasha gave me a worried look, wondering what was wrong. I couldn't find my voice. I was frozen.

Dib ran into the room, confusion on his face. When he saw my expression, he immediately turned pale.

"Zim… what is it?" he asked, worried about what I knew.

I turned my head slowly to stare at him. He understood immediately.

I had been too late.

The Lieveradans were already here.

"Gaz! Quickly, we have to get these people out of here!" Dib screamed as he ran back into the room. I was still kneeling on the floor, frozen in that same position. I couldn't move, I couldn't think. Only one thing had my attention.

How the crap was Roque still alive?

I had killed her! I specifically remember killing her! How was it that she was the one coming for us? She must have known that I was back, otherwise she would have probably just left this planet alone since she had already ransacked the place.

"Zim!" Sasha had been yelling my name and I just now heard her. I jumped back, startled and I fell to the floor. I raised myself slowly and stared up into her eyes. She stared back, deeply worried.

"What's wrong?"

I didn't know how to answer her. How could I tell the woman I loved that the demon I had killed had come back to life? I just PROPOSED to her for crying out loud! Talk about terrible timing. I decided to just go with one word.

"Roque."

Understanding dawned immediately on her face. But then it was replaced with fear, and I felt extremely protective. I stood and sat next to her, wrapping my arms around her.

"I won't let her hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you," I said forcefully. My love for her burned through my words, and when she looked up into my eyes, I was sure she could see past the contacts and see the determination. I may have been scared as well, but there was no way I was letting anyone hurt my Sasha.

There wasn't much time. I pulled her back gently and then began screaming orders at the computer. It would create a replica of the battleships I had made for the Tallest. It wouldn't be perfect because of the short time it would be built in. But it would be created the way my house was when I first came. I ran around the house, gathering everything I would need. Sasha sat and watched me as I went back and forth. Occasionally, I would stop and scream orders at Dib about what to do with the humans. Surprisingly, he listened and soon, we had everyone outside, awaiting the battleship. Within an hour, the ship was done, and everyone was being herded into it.

I had to admit, I was very disappointed in it, but we didn't have the time it would need in order to satisfy me. So once everyone was inside, I immediately went to the pilot's seat, and began the engines.

That's when the first few bombs started to fall.

The first one missed us entirely. But they seemed to get closer and closer. And far more deadly. I hurriedly put the ships controls into manual and began to fly. GIR sat next to me, randomly pushing buttons that just so happened to be the weapons. The Lieveradan's ship was closing in, and I wondered how I could have heard Roque's voice over the sound of THAT. The thing was freaking huge and it made such a strange and loud hum that it was almost impossible to hear myself think. But that was part of the Lieveradan's tricks. Disorient the prey, and then strike. It was only one of many, and not even I knew them all. But it was effective.

I picked up speed, and soon, I had launched us into space. I hoped beyond hope that the Tallest would have discovered the wormhole and gone through it as well.

My luck run out.

All I saw was empty space. I knew it was too much to hope that the Tallest would miraculously arrive and save us all. But even I knew that was wishful thinking. Reality seemed to sink into me as I desperately tried to out maneuver them.

I was on my own in this battle.

But then Dib and Gaz appeared in the bridge and they began to help out with the controls. Even Sasha joined us in her weak condition. Her and GIR shot whatever they could at the ship that was on our tail. Pretty soon, Dib had a shield put around us, and Gaz was reverting whatever energy we could spare to the engine.

They may not have been Irkens and they may not have been trained as strictly as I was, but they were all I had. And they weren't doing too badly. I headed back to the surface, there wasn't much I could do in space. I knew the surface better than I knew the space around Earth. The Lieveradans didn't. I was trained to fly. They were trained to kill. At the moment, I had the upper hand.

But anything could change.

Sasha seemed to sense my tension and my fear and growing anxiety. She glanced up at me several times, but each time, I pretended I didn't notice. I needed to keep my focus. But I too, could feel her fear around her. I wanted to comfort her, and I knew if I looked at her, I would see her expression and I would not be able to resist the temptation to hold her and calm her. So I kept my focus on the air around us, and the ship behind us.

But then, more ships arrived and began to shoot at us. And pretty soon, they hit one of our engines. I could feel the ship falter and then slowly began to fall back to the surface. I heard the screams of the humans as another shot hit home. But this time, it wasn't a missile or laser. It was a grappling hook. I felt the ship lurch back as the ship dragged us back to it. The screams became more pronounced. Now I looked down at Sasha.

Funny how I could have been so accurate earlier.

I immediately jumped down from the pilot's seat and went straight to her. I could not resist going to her and at least trying to ease her worry. My arms wrapped themselves around her. She trembled in my arms and I could sense her growing terror. She was so weak and frail in my arms. I didn't know how this would affect her. Especially since she was so physically unstable because of this "Tuberculosis." My worries maximized as I placed my cheek against hers and discovered she was burning up. She was paler than usual, and I couldn't be sure, but I thought her breathing was slowly started to sound more raspy and uneven. It looked like it was causing her pain to breath. She began clearing her throat and coughing a little bit now and then. I could feel the panic form inside me. If she had another attack now… I didn't even want to think about it.

I exchanged a glance with Dib. He understood and he jumped up into the pilot's seat. He began pressing a sequence of buttons that not even I knew and pretty soon, the ship's back-up engines came online and the ship was trying to pull free from the grappling hook.

"How did…"

"I sent about a thousand spying bugs into your house when we were kids. And when we were taking shelter there, I took advantage of the situation and learned about your species ships," he interrupted me in a as-a-matter-of-fact kind of tone.

I wasn't sure whether to be enraged or grateful. I decided to go with neither. I had a sick human to take care of.

The ship broke free and we were soon soaring through the skies. I let Dib fly us wherever he wanted as I picked Sasha up in my arms and brought her to the area of the ship where all the other humans were. Mr. Singh saw me, and he immediately ran over.

"How is she?" he asked.

"I don't know. It sounds like she might go into another fit."

We took her to the infirmary inside the ship and he began working on her immediately. When she did start to cough up blood again, I simply held her head up so she could still breath while Mr. Singh gave her what little medicine he could give her. I felt so useless as I watched my love go through so much pain. When the fit was over, she fell back into unconsciousness. Once again, I stayed with her the entire time. I felt several more hits, but none of them seemed to hurt us the way the first one did. Suddenly, I heard an explosion, and I heard the sound of a ship falling to the ground.

GIR had actually shot down a ship.

I felt a small swell of pride at my little robot. But Sasha began to stir, and my attention was back to her.

She opened her emerald eyes and she stared immediately at me. I smiled at her, relieved that she was awake. She smiled back. She sat up slowly, aware of her own limitations. Once she stood, she immediately gasped as her legs buckled and she fell into my arms. She looked up at me. I simply stared back, feeling that strange irrational love for her course through me as I felt her body pressed against mine. Her eyes drooped lovingly and I couldn't help but do the same as I leaned toward her. She closed the distance and we kissed tenderly and gently. I opened my eyes after a while, watching her, making sure she wasn't going to collapse on me again. But she seemed fine for now, so I simply allowed myself this one tiny moment of bliss as we pulled each other closer. And in one of those brief moments when our lips were free, she whispered "I do."

**Author's Comments:**

**Wow, WAAAY overdue. Sorry about that guys. With school and everything else, I could hardly find the time to write this part. So first off, thanks for all the comments. I really appreciate your guy's support. Second thanks for being so patient with me. I'll try to do better with the whole time management thing. **

**Hopefully you guys understand what Sasha means when she says, "I do." If you don't... then I honestly don't know how to respond to that. **

**Anyway, Hope you guys like it. And I'll try to add some personal comments from me every once in a while. Usually I don't have anything to say but, I'll try to say something every so often. **

**Enjoy!  
**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Ironies

I couldn't believe my antennae. She was saying yes… to _ME_! She was agreeing to spending the rest of her life with me, to being mine forever. I was ready to burst with joy and happiness. So I simply kissed her more passionately as we pulled each other as close as we could.

"So I guess we're engaged now," I whispered lovingly when we pulled apart for air. I simply went straight to her throat and kissed it tenderly before kissing up her jaw line. She sighed and smiled before answering, "I guess so."

I had no idea how we would go about this. I could ask the Tallest to do it, they did technically have the authority. Or we could see if one of those humans could do it for us. But I didn't know when, I didn't know how… I didn't even know what I was supposed to do! I was engaged… I didn't even know what that meant exactly. But thankfully, Sasha did, and I had a small amount of Irken history on my side to help me partially through it. I loved this human in my arms, and I knew that was all I needed….

And a ring…

I had learned about the human's customs. And one of them was giving the woman you loved a ring with a diamond on top before you got married. Apparently, it had some strange sentimental value and it was highly desired among the humans. It was a symbol of love and eternity, and it told everyone else that you were connected to another living being. Even though she loved me and she knew I was an alien, I had a feeling that she would want to follow her people's traditions. But I also knew my people's old traditions. And I put together the perfect wedding for a couple like us in my head. Half would be based on the humans, half on the Irkens. Funny how I knew nothing of wedding's yet I already had mine planned out.

I wanted it to be mostly a surprise for Sasha, but I would need help in this. Dib would probably punch me in the face if he found out. Gaz could care less. But Mr. and Mrs. Singh would be willing to help. And maybe even a few other humans I had known.

But I couldn't worry about this right now. Because my few moments of bliss were over. Roque was still out there.

I let Sasha go only to grab her hand. We made our way back to the bridge, ignoring the explosions overhead from the insane amount of gunfire coming from both ships. Dib sat in the pilot seat, gritting his teeth as he constantly maneuvered the ship. But then there was another explosion and a large vibration was sent through the ship. The humans began screaming again.

"We're hit!" Dib shouted as we slowly began to lose altitude.

I wanted to make a sarcastic remark about his obvious statement but I quickly swallowed it. Now wasn't the time.

They had hit our other engines. We were going to crash.

Dib did as much as he could. He punched in series of controls that I had never seen before. Of course they did nothing so I could only assume he was randomly pushing buttons. I couldn't blame him because I would probably be doing the same thing if I was still in the pilot seat. But it was no use. The ship was getting closer and closer to the ground. Dib tried to pull up as hard as he could. It leveled the ship out, but we were still falling. I slammed my fist on one control and the landing gear came out. All Dib would have to do was keep us level and hopefully we could land with a little more safely than if we crashed.

I was dead wrong.

Because we landed in a lake.

We skimmed over the surface and then crashed into the shore. The humans screamed as the ship charged through the trees. The back end lifted up as we slowed to a stop and then slowly came crashing down once we finally were stopped.

Everyone in the bridge was either lying on the floor, or hanging over a seat. GIR lifted his head and screamed, "WOO! Do it again!"

I rolled my eyes as I picked myself up off the floor. Sasha had been thrown clear across the room and she too was starting to stand. Gaz lifted herself up over the chair and fell onto the floor. Dib was already on the floor having been thrown from the pilot seat.

Soon we were all standing up staring at each other. Sasha and I immediately crossed the floor to each other. Dib said he'd go check up on the other humans. Gaz decided to join him. I wrapped my arms around Sasha. She snuggled into me as I placed my chin on top of her head. I could still sense her fear as she placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Oh Zim," she breathed into me.

"It's going to be alright. We'll get through this."

I kissed her forehead and then made a line of kisses down her jaw until I came to her lips. It was a tender kiss, and it would only last a second, but our love was so strong in that small little gesture that it had me begging for more. Naturally I didn't get more, because just then, Dib came running back in.

"Many of the others are dead."

Sasha's head immediately snapped up. She looked at Dib, confusion and shock on her face.

"What?"

"The grappling hook hit the room they were in. Only a small amount are left."

The tears stung Sasha's eyes before I could say anything. She left my arms immediately and followed Dib. I stood there, not knowing what to do. But after a while, I followed. If my love was hurting, I needed to comfort her.

When I arrived in the human's room, I saw that Dib was right. There was a large hole in the side where the grappling hook had hit. Many humans were "missing" and more were on the floor dead.

They had died because I had tried to save them.

I closed my eyes, my brow furrowing. But when I opened them, I saw Sasha standing in front of me, her back to me. She was shaking, and I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard little sobs. When I looked at her feet, I saw why.

I immediately crossed the floor and held her. I turned her face away so she was crying into my chest.

Her aunt and uncle were dead.

She threw her arms around my neck and sobbed and I simply held her tighter, staring down at their lifeless bodies. They stared back up at me, seeing nothing, hearing nothing. I looked up at Dib, who was looking away at the other remaining humans. There weren't many of them, but there was a good number of them. He glanced at me and nodded. He rounded up the humans and they began to get off the ship.

I stroked Sasha's hair, I kissed her cheek, I sang to her, I rocked her back and forth, I did everything I could think of. She understood that we needed to leave, and so by summoning all the courage inside her, she and Gaz followed the others outside. I hated letting her go but I had one thing to do.

I had noticed something coming out of Mr. Singh's pocket. I knelt down now, and I reached in and pulled it out.

A piece of paper.

I opened it up. To my surprise, I was looking at my old Biology teacher's handwriting.

Zim,

This may seem sudden and straightforward, but I don't know when I'll get another chance to talk to you. I wanted Mr. Singh to give this to you the next time he saw you. You and Sasha have been getting pretty serious, and I can see the way you look at her. Don't try to deny it, it's a little obvious. So I have a request for you. Take extra good care of her, give her all your love. But also, when you propose (I've been seeing it coming for weeks) give her my ring. It belonged to her grandmother, and it should be hers for her engagement. And one more thing…

Thank you.

Love, Mrs. Singh

I could feel my tears sting my eyes as I read Mrs. Singh's letter. When I looked back down at her face, she seemed more peaceful, and she still had the loving expression on her face. I closed both her and Mr. Singh's eyes and then slipped the golden ring off her left hand.

It was a beautiful little thing. The gold band was delicate and embroidered with little stars and flowers. The diamond sat on top of it with little tiny diamonds around it, all of them glistening in the proper light. And when I looked on the inside of the band, the words, _"My Angel" _could be seen. The ring was perfect, and I knew Mrs. Singh had meant for me to give it to her niece.

I left them then, not wanting to disturb them any longer. I found GIR still in the bridge and told him to follow me. He obeyed and together we left the ship.

Once outside, I could see the remaining humans all huddled up in a circle in front of Dib. Sasha stood to the side with Gaz, trying to keep herself from bursting into hysteria. I went automatically to her, and she instantly met me halfway. She melted into my arms, and I could feel those small tremors and shivers run through her. I pushed her back a little so I could look into her eyes. She looked up at me, fear and remorse and grief in her eyes. I didn't say anything, I simply lifted her hand and slipped the ring onto her left ring finger. She looked down surprised, and gasped when she saw the ring. When she looked up at me surprised, I held out the letter and she took it. She read the letter and about halfway through she smiled sadly as more tears spilled down her cheeks. She looked back up at me her love and devotion to me showing on her face. But as she bit her lip and closed her eyes, the sadness returned and I simply held her, knowing that it would take a while for her to heal.

I lifted my head and called for GIR to come to me. He obeyed and waited for me to give him further instructions. Of course he did his little monkey dance while he waited.

"GIR, send a transmission to the Tallest."

His eyes glowed red as he saluted and his little antenna grew longer and small beeps could be heard from it.

Suddenly, one of the humans burst through the trees.

"Dib, Sasha, Gaz," he called as he tried to catch his breath. "There is civilization nearby!"

We all rushed in the direction he pointed, wondering what on earth he was talking about. Sure enough, as we raced to the top of the hill, we could see the flashing lights and buildings of a city. In the distance stood a very large tower made completely of steel with four legs that came together at one point, which reached to the sky.

"Welcome to France," Sasha said as she looked up at me.

**Oh my gosh I don't know why it has been taking me so freakin long to get this one up! Sorry about that guys. School and everything has just been taking up ALL my time! Not to mention a bad case of WRITER'S BLOCK! Man I hate it when I get that. Thankfully Winter break is around the corner which means MORE TIME TO WRITE! :D I swear I will make it up to you. I hate having to make you guys wait so long. **

**Enjoy! **


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Escape

It was hard to NOT find Paris fascinating. All the people, and the art, and smells from the restaurants, and the beauty of the Seine, and the magnificent structure of the Eiffel Tower. Of course it gave me future ideas for our own buildings. I wanted Sasha to take me everywhere. I wanted to know everything. And then of course she began talking fluently in another language and I had no idea what she said. She laughed at my blank confused expression and translated herself.

"I said, 'Welcome to the City of Love'."

Of course that made me blush as I slowly began to notice that love was a common theme among the people who were also talking in that weird language.

"What language were you just speaking in?"

"French. My father taught me when I was a little girl."

It was strange how she went from a perfect French accent to a perfect American accent so quickly. When I asked her about it, she simply shrugged and said, "My mother was born in America and my father here in France they met and got married in New York and then moved out here several years after I was born. I'm used to both France and America."

I raised an eyebrow. But then Sasha stopped dead in her tracks. When I turned to look, I could see why.

We were in front of a cemetery.

When I looked at her, tears were stinging her eyes.

"My parents are in there," she said turning to smile sadly at me.

I had never entirely understood why the humans buried their dead. But looking at Sasha now, I think I can start to understand. When they bury their dead, it's a way to remember them by and keep them in their memory. They bury their dead as a sign of respect and sorrow, the end of another life. I took Sasha's hand in mine and led her into the cemetery. We passed by hundreds of tombstones and grave markers. Some were plain and simple while some elaborate and strange. I don't know how long it took, but after a while, we finally found them. In scripted on a white stone with a beautiful rose embellishment, were their names.

Rachel Taylor Rouvillois.

Jacque Mason Rouvillois.

Sasha stared down at the stone, tears flowing down her cheeks. I put my arms around her and held her, knowing she would need some comfort. When I looked over her head, I saw some humans putting flowers down by another grave. I also saw some male human selling flowers just outside the cemetery. I kissed Sasha on the side of her head and let her go. She didn't turn to see where I was going.

I went up to the human, gave him one look and he immediately gave me some bouquet of roses. I paid him and left. I went straight back to Sasha and before she could look at me, I had placed the bouquet in front of the grave. I had to admit, the grave looked better with roses in front of it. When I straightened up and look at her, she was smiling at me as more tears fell. She hugged me as she smiled sadly down at the grave. I kissed the top of her head before we turned and walked out of the cemetery together.

We went all around France, enjoying each other's company, enjoying the sights and sounds. Even though I didn't intern it, I was gathering more and more information about the humans that could prove useful in the future.

Dib and Gaz had taken all of the leftover humans and had gone to do something with them. I didn't know what but if they got all those humans out of my way then I was fine. If it kept them safe from the Lieveradans then I wasn't complaining.

GIR followed us around, but usually he was bouncing around from place to place looking at everything around us. I had gone ahead and sent a transmission to the Tallest, alerting them that the Lieveradans were here. They knew about the wormhole and were on their way now. I only hoped that they got here as soon as possible.

It was night by the time we got any news. Sasha and I were standing on a bridge across the Seine, staring at the Eiffel Tower, feeling the love between us like an electrical current. GIR was in the water doing who knows what. I turned to look at Sasha, her beautiful face lit by the moonlight. I stepped closer to her and gently nuzzled her cheek. She smiled and leaned her head towards me, allowing me to kiss her cheek. I took her hands in mine, feeling her warm skin. She looked up at me, knowing what was on my mind.

"Zim… what's going to happen when your leaders get here?" she asked suddenly.

I was surprised at first and then I realized that she had a point. What WAS going to happen? I couldn't just leave Sasha here again. She was in terrible danger here on Earth. So were all of the humans but I could honestly care less about them. Sure I wanted the Lieveradans dead but I wasn't going to risk Sasha's safety. The only solution I could think of was to take her to my planet. But I wasn't sure how that would turn out. Yes, Irk was filled with oxygen but it was different Earth's and I wasn't sure how she would react to it.

I didn't answer her. I simply turned away and stared down at GIR, not knowing the answer. She seemed to understand that I wasn't sure so she simply dropped the subject and took my face in her hands. When I looked back at her, she was already leaning in. We kissed tenderly on that bridge for a while. When we pulled apart, she laid her head on my chest and we held each other close as we swayed back and forth in time to some music that was being played. Very softly she began to sing. She had a lovely voice even if I couldn't understand what she was saying since she was speaking in French. She then translated herself as the music repeated. It was a beautiful song and it was even lovelier in her voice. But then she started to gasp for air and her breathing was very raspy. I could feel the panic cross my face as she started coughing. I didn't know what to do. And Mr. Singh was dead. There was no way for me to help her. I looked around us, hoping some other pathetic human would be around. There were many humans walking around, but they all spoke in the French language. How would I be able to ask for help?

Sasha was starting to cough up blood. She dropped to her knees, clutching her throat, choking on the blood and spit she was coughing up. I dropped down next to her, scared out of my mind. GIR had run up by now and was looking at Sasha confused.

"What's wrong with her Master?" he asked dumbly.

I completely ignored GIR as I felt her skin. It was burning up, she was much hotter than usual. I desperately looked up at the humans, knowing that I had to do something.

"I'll be right back Sasha. GIR stay with her!" I ordered. I couldn't tell if he got the message or not but I didn't have time to waste. I ran towards the humans, screaming for help pleading with them. Most of them stopped to stare at me, wondering what I was saying, but the humans on his planet were so dense none of them could get the message so they just moved on. I was on the verge of tears before one female came up to me.

"Excusez-moi monsieur, I speak little English. Do you need help?"

I could've kissed that human but instead I nodded and told her to follow me. She came and when we got to Sasha, she was unconscious. GIR sat next to her like a little loyal dog but when he saw me he jumped up and started running around screaming. I ran to Sasha while the lady called her husband. When he came, they took Sasha and I to the nearest hospital. I spoke to the lady and she said that she would pay for the bill. Apparently her husband was a very rich man. I asked her if I could pay her back but she insisted I didn't. I guess there were some good humans in this world after all. I had just never found them.

The next morning Sasha was out of the hospital. She smiled kindly at me and spoke fluently to the lady who had helped us. Apparently they knew each other. As it turned out the lady was her old art teacher. That explained the reason behind the sudden kindness. Sasha introduced me to the lady whose name was Madame Moreau. She smiled at me and shook my hand. But then GIR started to receive a transmission from the Tallest so Sasha and I thanked them and left. We hid in an alleyway to avoid wondering eyes.

The Tallest's faces appeared once we were hidden and Sasha gasped. The Tallest freaked out when they saw her.

"ZIM! What do you think you're doing, don't let her see us!" Purple panicked.

"A little to late don't you think?" Sasha said sarcastically.

"It's alright my Tallest. She already knows."

"You told her?" Red screamed enraged.

"Technically I found out on my own. I'm not as dumb as I look, no matter how more advanced your species is."

They both glared at her but when I cleared my throat they both turned their attention to me. I had to struggle to get GIR to stay still so I could talk to them but I managed.

"So Zim what else have you told her?" Red asked a little miffed at me.

I smiled sheepishly as I admitted that I had told her a lot. They looked ready to strangle me but I quickly told them that we had found civilization but that the Lieveradans were still heading this way. They said they'd deal with me later and that they were closing in on our location. We cut the transmission then and I turned to Sasha.

"What are they going to do?" she seemed worried about me.

"They won't hurt me. I'm a little too important to them," I answered smirking.

"But what will they do when they arrive?"

"Fight the Lieveradans."

"But what about after?"

I didn't know how to answer that. I couldn't just leave Sasha here, I loved her. But would we be able to take care of her on Irk? And would she be willing to go and leave her own planet? I didn't know what to say, so I simply held her in my arms.

"I don't know," I admitted. She melted into me but I had to pull her away, telling her we needed to get out of the city. The Tallest would be coming and the other humans couldn't see them. At least not yet.

She reluctantly agreed. I could tell she didn't want to leave Paris. It meant a lot to her, but it was needed and she knew that. We took a cab out of the city and soon we were in the French countryside. I paid the driver who wasn't too happy about having to drive all the way out of here but I paid him fairly. He left then and Sasha and I were alone with GIR in the middle of a bunch of fields. Naturally, I took her hand as we went into the middle of the fields away from the roads and kissed her, reassuring her that everything would be all right. She smiled at me as she kissed me back, her hands reaching up to my shoulders, my arms wrapping around her waist. We kissed for a short while, because just then I heard the familiar hum of the Massive's engines. It landed gracefully and when I looked down at Sasha, I was pleased with her shocked and surprised expression.

"Th-That's your leader's ship?" she asked dumbfounded.

I nodded, feeling the pride well up in me. The walkway dropped down and I was soon leading Sasha into the ship. The Elite soldiers weren't too happy about me letting her on board but I was a well-known Invader and I insisted until they were finally forced to agree. Sasha was impressed and fascinated by everything we saw which made me feel even more pleased with my species. Sasha received many curious and suspicious gazes from the other Irkens but I simply kept my arm around her and glared back at them. They passed quickly, not wanting trouble, but that didn't change their feelings. Only one Irken seemed to not care.

"Zim!" she cried as she ran forward.

Rya hadn't changed a bit. She was still incredibly small and her lime green eyes were as bright as ever. I smiled as she ran to me and was surprised when she jumped into my arms, hugging me. I hugged her back with my free arm and chuckled quietly.

"Hello Rya. I told you I would come back."

"I knew you'd keep your promise," she answered looking up at me happily.

"Sasha," I said turning to her. "This is Rya, the little Irken I was telling you about."

Sasha smiled warmly at Rya who looked up at her curiously.

"Rya this is Sasha, the human I told you about."

Rya smiled back at Sasha and shyly whispered, "Hi."

I put Rya down on the ground as GIR ran forward and the two friends were united. The four of us continued into the main bridge where the Tallest stood waiting for us. They looked upset, and it only got worse as they saw Sasha.

"You brought her here!" Red yelled exasperated.

"My Tallest let me explain!" I yelled back, wishing they'd give her a chance.

They glared at me but motioned for me to continue. I didn't actually know how to explain this, so I did it in the only way I knew how, the only way I knew they'd understand.

"I wish to be married to her."

Their jaws dropped in complete and utter shock and all the Spec-Ops and Royal Guard in the room began muttering and whispering to each other.

"Zim… No one's been married for years! And besides she's a human!" Purple tried to rationalize. I raised an eyebrow, not caring about any of those reasons.

"Where in the books does it say we can't be married to other species?" I countered. They stood there stunned, not knowing what to say.

Sasha then stepped forward, looking straight up into the Tallest's eyes.

"With all do respect, Tallest, on my planet, marriage is a very key component in society. We simply wish to honor both my people's customs and your old ones."

The Tallest examined her silently, not sure what to think of the young human. She simply held her ground and stared right back, the way a good strong Irken would. I was impressed by her courage, but I was a little scared too. I didn't how the Tallest would react to her.

After what seemed like hours to me, the spoke.

"What is your name again?" Red asked randomly. I didn't know where they were going with this since they knew her name, but I decided to keep my mouth shut and wait.

"Sasha Rouvillois," she answered raising an eyebrow.

"How long have you known Zim?" Purple continued.

"About six years."

"How long do you wish to remain with him?"

"Now and forever."

They remained silent again for a long time. It got to a point where I simply had to help her in some way. So I simply walked up and put an arm around her waist. She finally broke her gaze from the Tallest to look at me. She smiled lovingly at me and I simply smiled back. We then both looked up at the Tallest, wishing that they would do something other than stare. Purple looked convinced, but Red was still unsure.

"Why Zim? Why do you wish to go back to our old ways with this… human?" he asked confused.

"It's not something I can easily explain. We used to have love in our culture, but now it has been deemed unnecessary. However, the humans find love a very desirable thing. I guess my time with them made me soft and I eventually fell in love with her."

Red raised an eyebrow at this but his expression too softened. They had heard of love, and they knew all about their old ways. But they were both still a little confused and wary of the whole thing.

Suddenly, the warning sirens went off and we soon could see the Lieveradans ship on radar. We would have to drop the subject for now. I told Rya to take Sasha to my quarters. She did as she was told but only after Sasha gave me a quick kiss goodbye. GIR and I ran with the other Invaders and soldiers to the Voot Runners. Luckily, every Invader had a spare cruiser so I simply went to mine. That was when I realized I was still wearing my disguise. I took it off and put it in one of my secret compartments in the cruiser. I was still in the human clothes but I would have to deal with that for now. I'd get another uniform later.

We started up the cruisers and then flew off into the sky. The Massive followed us and we led the Lieveradans out to space. They followed like I knew they would.

And the battle began.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Permission

We flew left and right, fighting off the Lieveradan fleet. There were more ships waiting for us in space but there were also more Irken ships. We shot down many of the ships, and we even took down several of their battleships. It looked like we had the upper hand as we continued to lead them away from Earth. But then to my pure shock, a single figure appeared in front of me. I stared terrified at her cruel smile as her pupil-less yellow eyes glowed with rage.

"Roque…"

"Hello Zimmy," she said in that malevolent voice of hers. She had a microchip in her ear, allowing her to speak to me.

I didn't know how she survived the airless vacuum of space, but she was there and she looked perfectly fine. She appeared to be standing on thin air, but if you looked closely, there was a very thin purple square beneath. And when she took a step forward, the square moved with her. She continued walking towards me, that malicious smile still on her face. I was completely frozen in horror, not understanding how she was alive.

"Your face is priceless," she hissed, her razor sharp teeth shining. I glared back at her, daring myself to ask the question.

"How are you alive? I thought I killed you."

She snarled as I reminded her of her second defeat by my hands. And when I looked around me, it seemed like everything had stopped and they were all waiting, anticipating what would happen.

She smiled again at me, as she drew breath and I could tell that what she was going to say brought her great pleasure.

"You brought me back Zim."

I stared in complete astonishment, not believing what I was hearing.

"I'll explain. When my precious Trile tried to kill you, you simply damaged it with that incomprehensible love to your human. You thought you destroyed it, but really it evaporated out of your body. Since the Trile had collected your DNA, it simply came back to me. Using your living DNA, it healed me and it brought me back to life. And now I'm a part of you Zimmy. And I can't wait to destroy you."

Roque spoke the truth. Her hands were back and the blood red spines protruded from them menacingly.

"Zim," Red's voice came over my microphone.

"We heard everything. You need to get out of there," Purple continued.

"No. I'm finishing her once and for all," I seethed through my bare teeth. The fact that MY DNA brought her back to life really put a dent on my pride. I wanted her dead.

"Zim please, I almost lost you once to her, don't make me almost lose you again."

Sasha's voice surprised me. I thought she was safe in my quarters. Apparently she had made her way back to the bridge and had heard everything as well.

"Sasha, listen to me. You won't lose me, I promise. But I'm not going to let that evil monster live, not after what she did to your aunt and uncle. She could do the same thing to you, and I won't let that happen. I'm not going to let anything hurt you ever again."

There was silence on the other end. The Tallest were most likely stunned and Sasha was probably overwhelmed by emotion. But then her voice came over the speaker again, choked by tears.

"I love you Zim."

"I love you too," I replied smiling sadly. I had a very bad feeling about what I was getting myself into.

I turned back to Roque, who was grinning cruelly.

"Once I'm done with you, I'll destroy your lover."

I could feel the blind rage build up in me. I put my invisible helmet on and then stepped out of the Voot Runner. To my surprise, I landed on solid ground. When I looked up, I could see many more squares formed into a large box that was nearly invisible.

And Roque and I were inside it.

She was always the first to move. She jumped forward, claws out ready to rip me to shreds. My mechanical legs came out of my PAK and I simply jumped over her. She pivoted and snarled as she continued to attack me. The process repeated several times, she would attack, I would dodge, and then she would attack again. After a while a decided to break the process. After she attacked and I dodged, the legs came up and shot four lasers at her, one from each tip. She dodged the first two, but the third hit her leg and the fourth hit her eye. She snarled in pain as she clutched her eye. I continued to shoot at her, hoping I could end this soon. But then she jumped out of the way and I had to stop to defend myself. She brought her spines forward, trying to inject more of her poison into me. But I simply used the sharp edges of my legs to cut them off her wrists. She shrieked in anger but I simply punched her square in the jaw. She flew backwards into the side of the wall the purple squares made, stunned by the action but she soon recovered. It turned into a fistfight, and we were evenly matched. After a while, we were both starting to draw blood and no one would be able to tell who was winning.

"I hope you enjoy death Zim. Especially now since I've decided to kill your love before I kill you," she taunted.

I couldn't see past the anger and rage that was building inside me. I screamed at her as I shot missiles and lasers at her from my PAK. She was taken by surprise as she tried desperately to dodge them. She had never known how horrible my temper could get. The box was too small for her to dodge and many of the missiles found their mark. She was thrown across the box and she hit the wall, her eyes rolling into the back of her head a bit. I walked over to her, ready to kill. She looked up at me, her eyes pleading for mercy. She had never known about my temper. When I was enraged, I was a monster. If she hadn't of tested me with the remark about killing Sasha, she might've had a chance.

But I wasn't going to give her a chance.

I brought up all four legs and then stabbed each one into her body over and over again, making sure that she was dead. When I finally pulled back, she was finished.

And then I fainted.

When I opened my eyes, all I was aware of was the immense amount of pain shooting all around my body. I looked up to see that I was surrounded by other Irkens. The ceiling was moving and I realized that I was lying on some kind of gurney and they were taking me to the infirmary of the Massive.

Sasha's voice came to me through the veil that seemed to be clouding everything. She said my name as she ran towards me, gazing down on me. I smiled up at her as she walked with the others as they transported me. Tears fell down her cheeks as she smiled back. I placed one hand on her cheek, ignoring the burning sensation from the tears. She put one of her hands on top of mine and then turned her face a little so she could kiss my palm.

And then I fainted again.

When I opened my eyes, there were several Irken doctors around me, talking to each other about the random wounds that covered me. When they saw I was awake, they smiled down at me.

"You must be one tough Irken to survive all of that," one of the said as I fully came to. I looked around me until I found what I was looking for.

She smiled down at me before leaning towards me to kiss my temple. I closed my eyes and smiled at her touch before opening them again to gaze at her. That's when I saw she wasn't alone. Rya and GIR sat there with her, anxiously anticipating my arousal. I smiled at them and they smiled back happy that I was alright.

"You love to just scare me half to death and then miraculously come back to life don't you?" Sasha said sweetly.

I laughed once before I slowly sat up.

"You should be able to get back to work in about an hour," the doctor told me before leaving.

Which left me a little time with Sasha. I gazed up at her lovingly, forgetting about Rya and GIR. She kissed me tenderly, but then the Tallest came in and we pulled apart. They stared for a moment at Sasha and myself before Red cleared his throat and said, "We've come to a decision."

Sasha and I stared expectantly at the Tallest, wondering what they were talking about.

"We'll let you get married," Purple finished trying to smile.

The smile slowly spread across my face as I realized what this meant. I turned to look at Sasha who was beaming. She looked back at me and we shared a very special kiss right then and there and I never wanted it to end. The Tallest smiled at us before shooing Rya and GIR out the door. I was glad they did too.

We deserved a moment alone.

When I was finally able to stand, we walked back to the bridge hand-in-hand. The Irkens stopped giving Sasha suspicious looks. Instead they looked at her curiously, having heard of the Irken and human couple who were going to get married. Marriage was a very old tradition; naturally they'd be curious as to why we would be bringing it back.

Once at the bridge, we could see nothing but the stars and empty space in front of us.

"Where are we going?" Sasha asked suddenly.

"Back to Planet Irk. We'll hold the wedding there," Purple answered.

Sasha turned to me, fear in her eyes. I pulled her into my arms and reassured her.

"Everything will be alright. Irk isn't such a bad place. You should be fine."

"But Zim… what will happen to Earth?"

"The Dib human shouldn't have a problem protecting it," I admitted a little bitterly.

"But Zim… I… it's just that… I want to see your planet, I really do, but I don't… I mean I can't…" she stuttered.

"I understand," I said placing my hand on her cheek and stroking it with my thumb. "You don't want to leave your planet. I had to go through the same thing when I left Irk to come here. We don't have to stay long. Just for a little while. Think of it as a vacation."

She must've found strength in my words, or maybe in my ruby eyes because she smiled sadly and nodded.

"I promise Sasha," I continued as I rested my chin on top of her head. "We'll come back whenever you want. All you have to do is tell me."

I could feel her smile again against my chest and I knew that she was reassured.

The Tallest watched the exchange carefully; curious about everything that went between us. I had a feeling they'd be examining us a lot lately, wondering what was so special about the strange connection we shared.

The trip back to Irk was a long one, even with the wormhole that cut off about three months of our trip. But with Roque dead and the Lieveradans retreating, we found no reason to rush. And after the three months were over, we found ourselves staring at the strange surface of Irk. I couldn't help but feel the excitement and joy as we neared my planet. The joy of finally returning home after so many years of being in space or on Earth. I was ready to celebrate.

And then everything took a turn for the worse as Sasha's health rapidly deteriorated.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

A Blissful Moment

We hadn't even broke through Irk's atmosphere when Sasha began to cough and gasp. When I felt her skin, it was burning hot to the touch and her already pale face was getting paler. The coughing was much worse and more blood was coming out. Her breathing was so raspy that I couldn't tell if she was getting any oxygen at all.

Thankfully the ship landed shortly after that, and after I yelled at the Tallest about Sasha's condition, they quickly ushered her to the nearest medical facility. I nearly panicked when she stopped breathing altogether for a few moments.

She was getting worse.

Much, much worse.

The Irken doctors told me to stay in the waiting room while they worked on her. I spent the entire time pacing, listening to my own "heart" hammering in my chest. I was so terrified, and I felt so helpless. The Tallest stayed with me to discuss what we were to do about the wedding, but I could barely focus on that. Only when the doctor came out did I snap out of my trance. Except I soon wished he hadn't.

"She's in a state where we can't do much to help her. If we had gotten to her sooner, then we could've helped. Only one thing can save her now," he said sadly.

I waited anxiously, ready to jump on whatever suggestion he had. I would do anything to save her.

"We'd have to start now, before it's too late. The air on our planet counteracts the symptoms of the bacteria in her lungs. However since she is human, she can't breath our air properly. We'd have to use an ESO."

I was shocked at first, since the ESO wasn't a commonly used device. But if it would save her, then I guess I didn't have a choice. I agreed a little reluctantly since I didn't know how this would turn out. I guess I could only hope.

The procedure lasted a long time, three days to be exact. But I never left the waiting room during that entire time. The Tallest only came in to ask questions about the wedding and how things were going. I felt so numb that I could barely answer them.

When the doctor finally came out, I rushed quickly to his side. He directed me back to her room, telling me that everything went perfectly on the way. Once in the room, I gasped.

Sasha lay on the bed, but I had no way of knowing that it really was Sasha. Because her entire body was covered in a thin silver metal that wrapped around her like a mummy's bandages. ESO stood for Exterior System Operations. They were supposed to aid a living being with medical conditions. It was an exoskeleton. The metal covered her tightly, almost as if they were clothes, wrapped around her forever.

She stirred, and two little eyes in the head began to glow white. She turned her head to look over at me and I tried to smile at her, but I was just as stunned as I knew she would be. The only things on the head of the ESO were the two glowing eyes. I couldn't see her face, her real eyes, her lips, or her cheeks. I couldn't even see her smile. Only the slight movement of the glowing eyes showed me that she was smiling back at me. She sat up and stood, her metal covered feet making a small 'click' sound on the floor.

"Zim?" she said.

Even her voice was morphed. It was her voice that came through, but it sounded like it would if it were coming in through a computer. She lifted a hand to touch my face, and that's when she noticed. Her hand stopped in mid-air, her glowing eyes growing wide and shocked. She stared at it and I could tell it was beginning to shake. She was stunned, speechless. I could heard her breath coming faster, her chest rose and fell in synch with it. I bit my lip, not believing what I had just done to her. She looked at herself, she felt her face and her arms, she looked down at her body. She looked back up at me, and her "eyes" looked terrified.

"What have you done to me?" she asked her voice filled with shock and fear.

"Sasha I…"

"How could you do this to me!" she screamed, her eyes turning mad. They were only mad for a second as she began to cry and they turned into eyes filled with anguish.

I didn't blame her for being mad at me. It was a big change, but she would've died without it. But I had to admit I hated it to.

The doctor stepped forward then, finding this reaction normal.

"Don't worry miss, you can move it at your will."

We both looked down at him, wondering what he meant. For an Irken he was tall but compared to me, he was still rather short.

"The suit responds to your brain waves. It cannot be entirely removed, but you can make it move across your body. I'll show you."

On the doctor's wrist was a tight metal band. Suddenly, it began to expand and cover his entire hand and arm.

"I too had a medical condition. The suit saved me. However in a condition such as yours, it would be safe to make sure it covers most of your body at once," he explained as the metal retracted back to his wrist as a simple band.

Sasha stared at the doctor for a while before looking back at her hands. Pretty soon, the metal moved away from her face and hands. She looked back up at me and smiled apologetically. I smiled back as I went forward to hug her. She put her hands on my shoulders, tears falling down her face. I wiped them away and led her out of the office. I had taken care of the bill a while ago so we simply left.

The Tallest were waiting for us in their headquarters so we went straight there. They looked… satisfied that Sasha was up on her feet, however they were surprised by the ESO she wore.

"How can she breath if it doesn't cover her head?" Purple asked. Of course he had to be complicated about the whole thing.

"The suit acts like another skin. It sort of protects her body from what would normally harm it," I tried to explain.

"So it makes her body immune to the substances in our air that she wouldn't normally be able to breath?" Red asked.

"Yes. But the gases in our air can protect her from the bacteria in her lungs. So with the ESO she can breath our air without it harming her so the gases will in turn kill the bacteria."

Kill was the wrong word to use but I didn't know how else to put it.

"Well that's nice. We'll hold the wedding tomorrow. That way we can all get back to work," Red said after I was finished.

I saluted to them before taking Sasha's hand and leading her out of the building.

"Why don't I show you around?" I suggested smiling. She smiled back but then looked down at herself.

"Wait a minute," she said as she ran back to the doctor's. When she came out, she had a tight purple dress on over the ESO, making it look like the ESO was the dress' sleeves and leggings.

"There, that looks a bit more natural," she said as she walked towards me. I agreed, not being able to stop those strange attracted feelings that coursed through me.

I showed her around as much as I could, making sure not to show her too much. There were some things that were meant for Irken eyes-only, things that I will not mention at this time.

Sasha was intrigued by many of the things I showed her, and I had to translate signs for her since they were written in Irken. It was like when we were in Paris only reversed. We enjoyed the day together, milking in each other's company. It felt good just being together, not having to worry about taking over a planet or fighting some other alien race for a while. Of course the Tallest would be expecting the invasion of Earth soon, since we were desperately in need of its conquering.

When she started to get tired, I led her back to the Tallest's headquarters. They had set aside a room for the two of us since Sasha needed sleep every night. We went there now, and I simply let her take the bed. I didn't need sleep; I just slept whenever it was convenient. She fell asleep almost instantly, and I couldn't blame her. She had a rough day.

The Tallest walked in then, carrying my clothes for the wedding.

"Rya will help Sasha with her dress," Purple said as he handed me the suit. I smiled and thanked him. I had made sure that both our traditions and the human's traditions went into this wedding. I only hoped everything would go smoothly.

The next morning I found myself looking at myself in a mirror in the Tallest's quarters. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat but it seemed to only get bigger. I don't know why I suddenly got so nervous, I just did.

I wore a dark maroon jacket that went down to my thighs. The back of it was longer, flapping behind me like two tails. The front was buttoned up like the uniforms back on Earth I saw the marching band kids wear. The sleeves were a little long but they went around my wrists and then hung down from there, giving my hands room. My pants and boots were still black, although the toes of the boots were metal.

Over all, I looked very handsome, or at least that's what some of the other Irkens told me. I was too nervous to care. By late evening, I was standing at the altar, trying to slow my breathing and my racing "heart" as the guests piled into the seats. The Tallest stood in front of me, both dressed in elegant robes. GIR stood next to me, holding a bag of rice, ready to throw them when the time came. But for now he was just eating them. Rya sat on my other side, two pillows in her hands. On one pillow sat the wedding rings. On the other sat two silk ribbons, one white and one black. The rings were part of the human's traditions, the ribbons were Irken. Because each ribbon had an Irken symbol made out of onyx attached to it. The wedding would definitely be one of a kind.

Soon all of the guests were in, and we were simply waiting for the whole thing to start. Everything went silent as the music started and the doors opened wide. I could feel my eyes widen in amazement as my bride to be walked through. She looked up at me and smiled, amused by my expression. I smiled back as I felt a huge wave of emotion crash over me. I felt that strange love fill me up until I was sure I would burst. My eyes traveled up and down, drinking in every inch of her.

She was stunning! Her hair was pulled away from her face but fell in a shower of ringlets down her back, a veil pinned on the top of her head by a tiara. Her dress was a cross between a human and Irken style. The dress was entirely white with little hints of gold. Her shoulders were bare as her short sleeves hung halfway down her arms. After the sleeves ended, the ESO continued down to her wrists. The dress revealed quite a bit of cleavage as it hugged her curves tightly, causing me to blush slightly. Around her waist was a gold sash that matched the low hanging gold collar. There was one seam running down the middle of the dress and many running horizontally across the dress, giving it the look of a very fancy Irken uniform.

She took my breath away.

I took her hand as she came close to me. Her skin was warm and smooth and felt natural against mine. We both looked up at the Tallest then, waiting for them to continue. Purple said the first part of the speech, which contained the human's vows and then Red continued with the Irken vows. We said our parts, and I couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in my chest when she said "I do." Then Rya stepped forward with the ribbons. Both Red and Purple handed Sasha and I a goblet filled with a clear blue liquid. We linked the arms the held the goblets, a symbol of unity. Rya then tied one ribbon to each of our wrists, the Irken symbols swinging from our wrists as Red said the last of the Irken vows in my native language. Sasha had no idea what he was saying, but I silently whispered the translation to her. When he was finished, we drank from our goblets as the others in the building cheered. Red took the goblets from us and then let Purple take over. Rya then came forward with the rings, and we took turns placing them on each other's left hand. Purple said the last of the human vows and when he said, "You may kiss the bride," I pulled her into the most passionate kiss I had ever given her. The cheers continued as the Tallest announced us husband and wife. We pulled apart at the same time, gazing lovingly at each other before turning to the crowd.

There wasn't a reception like on Earth, but Sasha didn't seem to mind. Red and Purple had left us to our own devices, since their part in the wedding was over and they could return to their work. The other Irkens did the same as Sasha and I left the city in my Voot Runner. Rya and GIR remained back at HQ, giving us the privacy we would need.

I took her to a place only I knew of, a place I had visited often by myself.

I was a quiet, peaceful place, one where the landscape of my planet could be fully appreciated without the disrupting features of the cities. And I knew it was only a matter of time before this place too was covered in skyscrapers and streets.

There was (conveniently) an empty lodging facility in this area that gave you a magnificent view of Irk. I took her here, first allowing her to take in Irk's strange beauty before showing her inside. We were silent as I led her to the room with the best view, simply enjoying each other's company. However, I was sure that there was an impression of nervousness in the air. The fact that she might be nervous for some reason made me a little braver. It made me feel better, made me feel less anxious knowing that she to was uneasy. And because she was worried and I felt courageous, I was able to be in control.

The room was simple, with a very large bed and a wall made entirely of glass, allowing us to watch the sun go down. The room was filled with a deep red light before it slowly turned dark and the moon's silver light was the only thing allowing us to see. She stood in front of the window, watching the moon go up as I closed the door. She didn't turn as I drew closer. She didn't move an inch, even when I gently put my hands on her bare shoulders. I could hear her heart quicken as I gently brushed her hair over her shoulder, revealing her back. I leaned down and kissed the exposed skin between her shoulder blades, smiling as she drew breath quickly and then slowly let it back out. I put one hand on her stomach, pulling her closer to me while I took her hand in my other, bringing it up to me face so I could kiss her wrist. Then I simply let my hand slide down her arm while her hand stayed by my face. My hand glided down her arm until it came to her shoulder. I then swept it across her shoulder blade and then stopped at the zipper of her dress. I could hear her hold her breath, waiting for me to continue. I leaned my head down to kiss the side of her neck and then slowly unzipped her dress. I continued to kiss her neck as I slipped the dress off, feeling the sides of her body as I did. She did still have the ESO on underneath; a lot more skin was just exposed. Now she turned and wrapped her arms around my neck. I kissed her lips, letting my tongue slither out and gently tasting them. She sighed as she slid her hands down my chest, unbuttoning the jacket as she went. I could feel a shudder ripple through me as I quickly deepened the kiss. Soon the jacket was completely unbuttoned and it too lay on the floor next to her dress.

I pulled her over to the bed then, lying on top of her as her hands stroked my back. I kissed her neck, marveling over how warm and soft and smooth her skin was.

"You know, we can't go any further with this thing in the way," I whispered in the hollow of her neck while I stroked her stomach, which was still covered in the ESO. She turned her head to smile at me and I watched, marveling over her body as the ESO slide away, becoming a simple band on her wrist.

And we continued to let our love take control as we slipped blissfully into the night.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Betrayal

The morning sun slipped in through the windows as my eyes slowly opened. The first thing I saw was her beautiful face, only inches away from mine. I smiled lovingly as her emerald eyes slowly opened as well. She smiled back as she gazed at me.

I could feel our bodies still pressed together, loving the feel of her warm, soft skin against me. My arms were around her, holding her tenderly, as her hands slid gently up my chest to my shoulders. I pulled her closer, not being able to get close enough. With one hand she reached up and lovingly stroked my antenna. Of course I closed my eyes and purred as I laid my head against her heart, listening to it beat so strongly in her chest.

We remained there for a while, enjoying each other's presence until she began to whisper.

"Zim, how different are your methods?" she didn't have to clarify for me to know what she was talking about. I pulled away and propped myself up on one elbow, staring down at her, stroking her beautiful body.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked gently. She only shrugged.

It seemed a little strange that she would be interested in that but then again, I knew all about her way. She deserved to know mine.

"Well our females don't actually have their… eggs inside them. The male lays the egg inside her by connecting tongues and it travels along them. Then he fertilizes it the way you humans do. So our methods are similar, you just don't need me to do the first part."

She only nodded, not knowing how to respond. Of course she would find my way different and weird and unusual. I had thought the same when I first heard about her way, even if they were very similar. But she wouldn't have to worry about it for now. Now, we simply enjoyed each other's company as I lovingly kissed her lips again. Only when her stomach growled did we pull apart.

"Can't escape reality for too long can we?" she laughed quietly.

I smiled at her as we sat up in bed. The ESO came out and covered her body again. She pulled the purple dress on over it as I pulled my pants and boots back on. I watched her lovingly as I pulled my shirt on and she fidgeted with the ESO, making it come up to her neck instead of just her collarbone. When we were done, I simply walked over to her and pulled her into my embrace. I kissed her passionately, not entirely willing to give this up just yet. She kissed me back as she melted into my arms. But we both knew that we had to go, that we had to give it up.

For now.

She was the first to pull away, and I reluctantly obliged. We stared at each other for a moment before I smiled and took her hand. She grabbed our wedding clothes and folded them over her free arm. We walked out of the hotel together, smiling and laughing and talking, completely in love. We stepped into the Voot Runner, she laid in my lap, stroking my antennae her head laying on my shoulder. We didn't speak as we made our way back to HQ. We simply enjoyed each other's presence, comfortable with the silence.

Once back at HQ, she went directly to my room, which would now become ours. I went directly to the Tallest, who greeted me happily. We simply discussed our plans for what we would do with the remaining Lieveradans. There wasn't anything special involved, nothing you other humans need to know anyway. But that was how I spent my day, and all my other days for the next week and a half. By the time we were finished, Sasha and I had been married for two and a half weeks. And that time was spent in complete bliss for me. Because Sasha was waiting for me every night, and every night, she'd make love to me, giving me the release I needed from the stress about the war. Each night was my own form of paradise, getting better and better each time.

It was a couple weeks later, however, when I started to notice the change. We had been married for about a month, and Sasha had stopped making love every night. She had actually started to REFUSE me. Of course, this perplexed me and even irked me a little bit. Even she had changed my heart, I still had a huge ego. But then I noticed something. She was a lot more careful, she was eating lots more healthy foods, drinking more water, humming to herself as she did the laundry, exercising regularly. And then I noticed something else. She wore the ESO from her neck to her feet and she was even covering her hands now. And just this morning she got up from bed and ran to the bathroom. Even from out in the room I could hear her throw up. And this afternoon she snapped at when I tried to help her with some errands and then she smiled and asked me to go get her a smoothie!

It finally got to a point where I was very worried about her. Was it something I did wrong? Did all female humans do this after they had sex? What if she didn't love me anymore and she was just doing this to drive me insane?

I quickly pushed the last one out of my mind. Sasha loved me with all of her heart. That's why she married me. She would never do such a thing to me. Still, I was worried. This was extremely out of character. And the doctors didn't help, they said they had no idea what was going on with her.

After a couple days, she seemed to settle down a bit. If she still did those strange things, I wasn't there to see. I was with the Tallest, discussing battle tactics when everything took a turn for the worse. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Vortian ships appeared out of the sky and opened fire. It didn't take long for us to realize what was happening.

The Vortians had betrayed us.

Landing teams came down and attacked. It wasn't long before our fighters were out there as well, fighting against the new menace.

"Those miserable little scum! How dare they turn against us?" Purple screamed as more troops went out. Several explosions sounded around us and a large crash sounded through the air as one of the skyscrapers came down in a shower of broken glass and metal. I knew instantly that I had to get Sasha out of here.

A large explosion sounded right next to us and we were thrown back from the force of the blast. Our own little battle shortly followed. The Tallest fought against the Vortian leader and I fought against several of his troops. The fight lasted for a long time. But then reinforcements came, and for one moment I was hopeful, but they were Vortian reinforcements. And in that moment I knew.

We weren't going to make it out of this.

One stab and an ear-piercing scream confirmed that thought. When I looked over, Purple was on the floor, his blood pooling around him. In an instant I knew he was dead, and I watched with horror as Red fell with him. And then the Irken reinforcements arrived.

Too late.

They fought back the Vortians, and after a while we had a moment to rest. Then one of them turned to me and said, "What shall we do my Tallest?"

I looked down at him surprised.

"What? What did you just say?"

Someone else answered.

"You are our Tallest, our leader. What must we do?"

I took a while for all of this to register. But then I simply nodded down at them, and ordered them to go and fight after I told two others to come with me. I led them back to my quarters, hoping and praying the Vortians hadn't touched this area.

At least I was granted that one prayer.

Sasha was unharmed but she ran to me once I was in the room with her.

"Zim, what's happening?" she asked, the terror clear in her voice.

"The Vortians, they've betrayed us. I have to get you out of here," I explained quickly as I picked her up and carried her back. Rya and GIR appeared beside me in an instant, and they followed me back to the Voot Runner.

"Stay here and help fight. I'll be back soon," I ordered the two soldiers as I started up the ship with Sasha in my lap, GIR on my head, and Rya in Sasha's lap.

"Yes my Tallest!" they saluted and ran back.

"Tallest?" both Rya and Sasha asked at the same time.

"They killed Red and Purple. I'm the new Tallest now," I explained quickly as I got the ship in the air.

I flew them quickly back to mine and Sasha's special place, the place we had our honeymoon.

"Stay here, I'll come back for you. GIR?"

GIR's eyes turned red as he saluted.

"Yes my Master?"

"Call me if you ever need anything," I pivoted and went straight back to the cruiser.

"Zim!"

I turned in time for Sasha to jump into my arms. I smiled, lovingly, down at her as I hugged her back. She pulled away and kissed me briefly on my lips before looking up at me.

"I love you," she whispered in that beautiful melodic voice of hers.

I smiled as I gazed into her beautiful emerald eyes. Those eyes still stay with me in my memory until this day. They way they shined and the love for me displayed inside. She took my breath away.

"I love you too Sasha. I'll come back for you."

I gave her one last kiss, a kiss that lasted for a long time, before pulling away and jumping back into the Voot Runner. As I lifted off the ground, I watched her the entire time, not taking my eyes off of her until I had too. I sped back to the city, my heart beating quickly in my chest.

I had no way of knowing, no possible way of being able to tell what would happened. If I had known, I would never had left.

But I didn't know.

I couldn't have possibly known.

I had no way of knowing that that would be the last time I would ever see my young beautiful Sasha again.

**END**

**A/N: OK i owe everyone a HUUUUGE apology for NOT getting this darn thing up SOONER! if you'll excuse me for a moment I'm going to be screaming at all the things that have prevented me from getting this thing up. I have been CRAMMING lately, with school, exams, friend drama, my own drama, my friend's FRIEND'S drama. (dont ask how i was involved with that cuz i dont even know *rolls eyes*) and then there's the big one... *dramatic music* WRITER'S BLOCK! I HATE THAT THING! I swear every time i get to a good part i BLANK OUT! so i have to spend like a freakin MONTH trying to figure out what to do! GAHH!**

**ok venting over with.**

**now my dear fans before you all start sending me hate mail, before you all start screamin incoherent words and calling me this and that, and doing who knows what else, i'm gonna go ahead and say it. *dramatic pause* THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL! :D hehe! i've had this idea in my head for SOO long. yes. there shall be a sequel. so keep checkin on me to see if its up but it may not be for a while. **

**thats really all i have to say for now. yes i know sad ending but WE SHALL BE BACK! :D ciao! love you guys!  
**


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